Restart
by Kuroi-Yasha
Summary: A second chance to save those he loved. A second chance to do what is right. A second chance...at love. ShinjixRei
1. Redemption

_Kuroi-Yasha: Well, here I am. Finally trying my hand…or should I say…finally returning to the world of Evangelion after…some unpleasantness happened and I abandoned my old fic. Well, this time I won't give this one up and I'll finish this fic. Well, enough talking hope you enjoy this chapter and review it, even if it is a flame I could use someone to argue with._

_NOTE: This story was edited by my beta YashaReader from MM .org link to him is in my profile, he does good work._

_DISCLAIMER: I do not in any way shape or form own Evangelion, nor do I make any money off of this story. _

_WARNING! This story will contain views on religion that may offend people who are very up tight. Then again, these people wouldn't watch the show to begin with…still…_

_Restart_

_**By: Kuroi-Yasha**_

_Episode 1: Redemption_

Tokyo-3: once a sprawling military fortress that served as a city capital for what remained of Japan after Second Impact. Things could have been better for the once bustling city, seeing as more than 95 percent of the city had been destroyed by the JSSDF in an attempt to destroy NERV. A giant pool of orange fluid filled what once was the sea that surrounded the coastline of Japan, and the same sickly fluid also flooded the remains of Tokyo-3's streets. LCL, primordial fluid that was the original form of all living things before the Creator(s) intervened and created a simple creature. Simple for the Creator(s) that is, for as complex as a human body is, it was naught but a simple matter of imagining and compressing the right amount of matter to create a being. And so, we came to be, _Homo Erectus; I.e. Homo Sapient,_ as we later dubbed ourselves. The Creator(s) were content to merely let us be, for we were but trivial creations thought up on a whim and made for the pure and simple purpose of enjoyment. Unfortunately, something was not foreseen, or perhaps it was and was merely added to make things more interesting.

_**Freewill.**_

Ah, such a sweet sounding word; a simple concept that was given, or at the beginning believed to be, to humanity exclusively. Now man could make his own destiny, make his own choices. Man began to think, to ponder… to _create._ The Creator(s) began to grow uneasy as man began to spread, began to _evolve. _Could only watch as man began to kill, to harness the powers of the elements, to destroy, to construct and to poison. Slowly, the planet, which had been given to man, began to rot. In an attempt to control man, forces were made to counter them, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Volcanic Eruptions, etc. However, man would not be stopped. And slowly man turned from their Creators(s), and began to wonder _'Why? Why do we suffer so?'_ Now the beings that had worshiped began to hate. That is of course only a portion that scorned, however, only one brown spot is needed to make the apple bad. These spots slowly began to grow, until they held the apple at its mercy. Now the Creator(s) could do nothing as the measures set to keep humanity in check were conquered, one by one, until humanity was now the one in command. As a last resort the Creator(s) sent one last trump card.

_Angels._

These beings were sent to stop the current Humanity and bring it to it knees and begin anew. One must question the… logic… in this action. While it was true that Humanity had yet to encounter this form of trial, what would keep them from attempting to dominate such beings and elevate themselves to the rank of their Creator(s)? Perhaps it was all planned; perhaps not, but in the end it came to be.

**Second Impact.**

Such was the name we gave the massacre of our planet and our species, along with countless others. Not many were aware of the true cause of said event. Fewer were the ones that actually knew of _why _it had occurred, but nonetheless it happened, and Humanity was saved from extinction; not the way it was had intended, but safe… for the moment.

_15 years later._

The Creator(s) struck again. This time however, nothing would stop the destruction of humanity. No longer would the Angels be corporeal beings, this time they would be embodied in flesh and with abilities that man could not hope to stop. Surely, man would pay for its crimes of attempting to overthrow and become immortal. This however, was not to be so easily decided as the Creator(s) had hoped. For in his absence man had taken what he had sent to earth years back to try to bring about the Final Judgment and had created a weapon in likeness to the 'attackers' to combat his Army of Heavenly beings, artificial gods, created by man to kill.

_**Evangelion.**_

And so the war began. Fourteen of his Heavenly beings would battle against the man made gods for the fate of Humanity. Three children, three Evangelions. As the battles raged, the casualties escalated. One by one, the heavenly warriors fell, no match for the sheer will to live displayed by the pilots and their gods of steel. The children however were not without loss. Slowly they began the decent into madness and the perpetual fall into the depths of sorrow. One by one they faced their demons, and one by one they lost to them.

The First lost to her inability to relate to those that cared for her, and realized all too late that she did indeed _**feel,**_ and in an act of unselfishness and love, sacrificed her life so that her cherished other could live. Her next clone, never to know what her previous self had done, quickly replaced her to continue its preset purpose, unhindered by emotions.

**Rei** **Ayanami.**

The Second was just as tragic if not more so. Left alone at a young age by her unstable mother in an act of suicide, she struggled to fend for herself and prove to the world she was not weak… and that she was not a doll. She created a barrier around her heart, unwilling to let herself care about another for fear of being left alone once again, deceiving herself into believing that she needed no one. She met her fall at the hands of her own insecurities and instability. Never to pilot for mankind again, and lie comatose… a living doll.

**Asuka** **Langley Sohryu.**

The Third… much could be said about the Third. Like the Second, he was left alone at a young age. Abandoned by an uncaring cold father, the young boy was raised by a sympathetic, but aloof teacher who chose to care for but not raise the young boy. Uncertain of what to behave like, the young boy began to recede from society and fall into a comfortable shell of self-pity and self-loathing. Unused to the world, they young man was shocked when years later his father would call for him again, stating he finally had a purpose for the boy. He was to pilot the Metal God known as Evangelion and protect humanity. Reluctantly forced to comply, the boy took up his use, if only to try to hear words of praise from his detached father. Several attempts at fleeing, and near death experiences later, the Third remained the only near stable pilot. He however would fall to his cowardice and inability to act. He would unintentionally join the First in finally defeating the Creator(s) and beginning the rejoining/annihilation of Mankind.

**Shinji Ikari.**

And it was so, as the Creator(s) relinquished their hope of stopping Humanity's ascension and retreated into the recesses of the Cosmos, that one Ayanami Rei, now Lilith (as named by the Lilim) the mother of Humanity, embraced the soul of her loved and the rest of humanity as the war finally ended.

_**Third Impact.**_

"_Shinji…" _

The soothing sound of a voice long forgotten, yet always remembered caught his attention. Tormenting images of those he had failed had filled his head moments before. Opening his empty cerulean eyes he came face to face with the crimson orbs of the one he missed the most. "Rei…" A gentle smile spread across her face as she caressed his face, "_Shinji… what is it you want the most?"_ The question scared him. What was it she meant? He had never really been given a choice to what he wanted, even when it was offered, he usually gave up his choice because he didn't want to disappoint anyone and as such usually just allowed someone else to decide what he wanted. No it wasn't that a question like that scared him, simply because he was too weak to admit what he wanted. He wanted a lot of things, but settled for his basic needs instead of wants. His lack of assertion was what had caused Toji to nearly die, his lack of courage had caused Asuka to fall at the hands of the sixteenth, his lack of will had caused Misato to die, and his lack of strength had caused Rei to die.

"_I made my own choice Shinji."_ The voice startled him out of his depressed musings, the gentle smile never left her lips as she brought one of his hands to her chest, placing it over her heart, "_I loved… no, I love you Shinji. I could not stand to see you hurt; I had promised I would protect you. So I did what I felt was right."_ Her other hand came up and gently brushed away the tears that had begun to flow from his eyes. "_I made my only voluntary choice to die so you, Shinji, could live. I knew this day would come, as such I instilled some of my feelings deep within my soul so that I could reject the Commander and give you the choice to save or damn Humanity, so Shinji… what is it you want the most?"_ Her soft words sunk deep into his very being. She had loved him?! She freely sacrificed herself so that he could live; those words brought much needed relief to his pathetic, tormented soul. He looked at her, cerulean gazing into crimson, "Rei… I… I want to change. I want to save everyone, Misato, Asuka, Toji, Kensuke and I want to save you Rei… my Rei." His eyes hardened as confidence filled him and determination shone in his eyes, "I want to stop my father, I want to help everyone, I want to hear _my _Rei say the words you said." He looked at her and saw her smile grow.

"_Shinji."_

"I want… to start over. I want a second chance… a second chance to save everyone, to save you. I want to start over."

He felt his breath hitch as she gave him the exact same smile that made him feel complete and slowly leaned down, "_If that is what you desire the most. Ganbate Shinji." _He said nothing as her soft lips claimed his own, and sighed truly content for the first time as everything began to fade. "Rei…this time… I… won't… fail…"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

A clear azure sky was the first thing Shinji Ikari saw as he stepped off the train station platform. _'Hm, am I early? I could have sworn the appointed time was two.'_ Reaching into his pocket he produced a glossy picture of a very attractive purple-haired woman dressed in rather 'snug' attire that accented all of her features perfectly. _'This_ _woman, Katsuragi Misato-san, I feel like I've met her somewhere; must be my imagination.' _Sighing he made his way across the station and towards a small public telephone. Producing a card from his battered wallet, the young Ikari inserted it in the slot and dialed a familiar number, but one he had never dialed before. _'This feels odd… kind of like Deja-vu.'_ Ignoring the feeling of strange familiarity he listened as the phone rang, once, twice, three times, "Due to emergency protocol all lines have been restricted to class-A priority only. Please proceed to the nearest civilian shelter." Removing the phone from his ear he stared at it for a moment, missing the light blue haired girl that stood in the middle of the deserted street.

A sudden explosion however drew his attention east as he saw three massive UN attack helicopters fire round after round of deadly highly destructive missiles into something he could not yet see. He couldn't help the sudden urge to run away from the situation as one of the helicopters was suddenly caught in the grip of a gigantic arm and was then tossed like a rag doll at its fellow helicopters and proceeded to crash and destroy all three of them in an inferno. Ignoring the remaining helicopters, the huge entity continued on its path towards Shinji. _'I mustn't run away… I mustn't… I… __**I will not run away!'**_ Turning he glared up at the slowly approaching form of the titanic being, _'You don't scare me Sachiel.'_ He froze as his thought registered. How did he know the name of a creature he had never seen before? How could he calmly stand in the middle of the street as bombs and missiles were fired around him, when minutes before he was afraid of everything that he wasn't familiar with? _'What is happening? Why is an Angel attacking?'_ There it was again, how did he know this thing, this _Sachiel_, was an Angel? Weren't angels supposed to be emissaries from God sent to protect his children? If so why was it attacking?

Another explosion, this one closer, drew his focus back to the battle as Sachiel destroyed another of the annoying flying metal birds and sent it crashing in the general direction of the confused Ikari. Letting out a cry of fright the young boy threw himself forward with athletic skill and grace that he had not known he possessed, right into the passenger seat of a brand new blue sports car. "Wow, nice moves you got there! You're Ikari-san right? Ikari Shinji?" Somewhat disoriented the young boy could only nod his head as the car took off at a frightening speed and barely avoided being crushed by the massive foot of the third Angel. "The name's Katsuragi. Katsuragi Misato, I'm here to pick you up on the orders of your father."  
Finally composing himself, he stared at the woman who had rescued him and took in all her features. She was wearing a tight black dress that he had no doubt she had selected with the intent and purpose of teasing him. He fell right for her trap. She snickered as she caught him staring at her ample bosom, "Like what you see Ikari-kun?" She allowed herself another giggle as he turned bright red and looked the other way, "Hai… I-I mean…!" She felt a light blush stain her own face at his blatant admittance, which was no doubt just his instinctive reaction to answer truthfully in a moment of panic.

Deciding she'd had enough fun for the moment she pointed to the glove compartment, "Open up the glove box and pull out the folder that's in there. It contains everything you need to know about where we're going and the kind of work your father does." Nodding, the young Ikari opened the compartment and withdrew the folder; opening it he saw the main logo for NERV first. Opening it he began to read about the main purpose and function of the organization that his father commanded.

"_Evangelion_…"

He whispered the word, barely loud enough for Misato to hear. Instantly she slammed the brakes on the car and turned to the young Ikari before he could compose himself, "What did you say?" Startled Shinji backed away from her as much as possible, "Evangelion. I… I don't know what it means… it just… came into my head when I began to read about… about NERV." He truthfully admitted as Misato gave him a careful once over, "Alright, I'll trust you Shinji." He let out a small sigh of relief as the tension disappeared and they continued on their way to wherever they were headed. Suddenly, a loud whistling sound began to hum in the air, "What the...?" The purple haired beauty began as she stopped the car and looked back towards the battlefield only to see the UN forces retreating. "That's strange, why are they…?" before she could finish her sentence Shinji's eyes widened in realization as he dove on top of the purple haired captain, "GET DOWN!!" Was the last thing the Captain remembered hearing before a loud explosion followed by an intense Shockwave sent the small car tumbling into a violent series of rolls, finally ending with the car on its passenger side up.

Groaning, the young Ikari and the slightly frazzled Misato emerged from the car a little worse for wear. "AN N² MINE!! ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR MINDS?! THAT COULD HAVE KILLED THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS!" The young Captain bellowed at no one in particular as she trampled around in frustration and anger. "K-Katsuragi-san, maybe we should… I mean…" She cut him off as she turned and glared at him only to see him instinctively lower his head and become quiet. Sighing, she returned to the young boy and embraced him in a gentle hug, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." Returning the embrace semi-cautiously he shook his head, "It's alright Katsuragi-san." Pulling away from him the Captain shot him a smile, "Misato. Call me Misato, Shinji-kun." Blushing slightly the young Ikari nodded. "H-hai, Misato-san." Satisfied the dark haired Captain turned to her now wrecked vehicle, _'Just great, I've still got 13 payments left and it's already ruined; those UN bastards are gonna pay for that.'_ Shaking her head, she turned towards the young male, "Well Shinji-kun, how 'bout you give me a hand and we set the car right and get out of here before those geniuses kill us for sure." Nodding, Shinji made his way to the car. _'It can't get any worse right?'_

_-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~_

_'Me and my big stupid thoughts…' _Shinji Ikari cursed himself and his wishful thinking as they wandered and crossed the same hallway they had passed twice already and went down a corridor they had gone down five times, down a flight of stairs he was sure they had ascended and descended at least eight times. "We're lost aren't we Misato-san." The way she froze and stammered that they were not did little to reassure him as they went through a door they had already gone thru twice, "Yep, we're lost." Lowering her head in shame the purple-haired Captain made a right and miraculously came across an elevator. "YES! HA! I told you we weren't lost!" She gloated as she made a beeline for the elevator. "Yeah." he mumbled as he followed her, _'She's not very __**mature**_ _for a Captain. Wait, she never told me she was a…'_ His thoughts were cut off as Misato began to explain to a very attractive blond haired woman that she wasn't wasting time and that she hadn't been lost… again.

Sighing, the golden haired woman turned to him and gave him a kind smile, "Hello, you must be Ikari Shinji, the Commander's son. I am Dr. Akagi Ritsuko, I'm in charge of the Science division as well as Chief Scientist to the Magi System and Project-EVA. It's a pleasure to meet you." Somewhat startled by the introduction and the fact that he somehow understood and knew what the blond doctor was talking about he merely nodded dumbly and joined her in the chlorine-scented elevator. During the ride, the two women held a small conversation that Shinji did not pay much attention to because his mind was preoccupied with trying to figure out why he knew so many things that he shouldn't know. _'None of this makes sense. If those things are Angels, that must mean that god wants us dead. But God isn't supposed to be like that is he? And what is an Evangelion? And why do I feel like I've been in one before? How do I know it is something to get in?'_

So entranced in his thoughts the young Ikari didn't even notice he was staring right at the very Evangelion that he would pilot to save the world. The two NERV members said nothing as they watched the young Ikari stare at the enormous purple face of Evangelion Unit-01. Turning to her long time friend the blond raised an eyebrow at the lack of reaction from the only male member of the party. Seeing the slight reaction the violet haired woman could only shrug.

"Like father like son I guess."

Roused out of his thoughts the young Ikari caught his first look at the monstrous EVA-01. However instead of jumping back in alarm the boy could only look on in a mixture of recognition and horror as he slowly walked to the limiter bars that kept him from falling into the stalactite that kept the EVA secured. "Evangelion Unit 01…" _'Mother…'_ Startled at his thought he backed away from the purple behemoth. "No… no… I won't…" he mumbled as he took more steps away from the metal titan.

"It has been a long time… Shinji."

The cold voice filled the chamber as the boy in question stiffened and turned in the direction of the voice of the man he feared, respected, and hated with every fiber of his being. "Father…" Furious cerulean meet shaded, but still visible cold and impassive emerald. Forgetting his temporary fear of the man made god he stepped towards it in order to get a better view of the man who had sired him. "Why have you brought me here father, after ten years of not acknowledging my existence? What has changed?" He knew the answer; deep down he knew the reason he was brought here. _'I'm here to…'_

"You are here to Pilot Evangelion Unit 01 and save the city from the Angel currently laying siege. You now have a use to me as the Third Child. That is why you are here."

Again Shinji lowered his head, even as Dr. Akagi protested the activation of the test type. _'I knew it. He doesn't want me here, he doesn't care. I'm only convenient. I'm only useful for him as a pilot, not as his son. I hate him…' _Scowling he raised his head and fixed his father with a look that surprised the elder Ikari, even if he didn't show it. "I refuse." He stated flatly.

"Then we shall all die."

"I don't care! You never cared about me before, but now suddenly I am convenient for you so you call me here and ask me to pilot this… this monster and just expect me to agree?! I hate you… I HATE YOU FATHER!!"

Silence followed his fierce proclamation. A sound similar to a chuckle was heard, but was quickly silenced as the elder Ikari removed his glasses. "Will you pilot the Eva or not? I have no time for your childish tantrums." Everyone minus the two Ikaris flinched at the coldness in the elder man's voice. Shaking with suppressed fury and sadness, the younger man closed his eyes and slowly began to calm down. Finally opening his eyes, a similar coldness filled them as he glared at his father. "I will not." The coldness in his voice sent, if possible, even more shivers down the spines of those who heard it. Rubbing his eyes in frustration, the elder man turned to his old mentor turned Sub-Commander, "Bring Rei to the cages." Startled, the gray haired Sub-Commander gave his former pupil a look of disbelief, "Can she pilot?" The younger man faced his son once again, "She'll have to do." Turning off the speaker, the elder Ikari opened a communication with the First Child's hospital room. In seconds the link was complete and he was looking at the pained, but conscious face of his surrogate-daughter. "Rei, it is time. Report to the cages." A surprised look temporarily graced her features before her mask of impassiveness returned, "Yes sir."

Meanwhile, Shinji was oblivious to the argument that Misato was trying to have with him as the young Ikari continued to glare upon the figure of his father. "Misato-san I have made up my mind. I will not pilot this thing until my father acknowledges that I exist and have some meaning other than piloting this creature." Said Captain had just opened her mouth to retort when the elevator behind her signaled that it had arrived. "No, he can't seriously be thinking…" Turning in the direction of her friend the blond Akagi's eyes narrowed, as two medics appeared with what was most likely the First child. "So, he's playing his trump so early; he must be desperate." Intrigued by the conversation the two women were having, Shinji turned and watched as someone on a gurney was wheeled to their current location. A sudden sinking feeling began to fill his stomach as he could begin to make out the small moans of pain and discomfort that escaped the young girl that was being brought to the EVA cages.

_'No, it can't be…' _His breath caught in his throat as he saw the blue haired girl. Forgetting about his father he ran to the team of medics just as strong quake shook the underground base. Barely managing to keep his balance he managed to get to the blue haired girl before she could connect with the ground. Still she could not contain the cries of pain that escaped her as she began to bleed from wounds that had been reopened.

"No, she can't… she's hurt… FATHER YOU CAN'T!!"

His cry stirred the young albino in his arms as she opened her eyes to view the one that had saved her from a larger amount of pain. "Since you refuse to pilot, she is the only one who can be used to stop the Angel. Now release her and leave, you are of no use if you refuse to pilot." The coldness of the elder Ikari's voice rattled the soul of the younger one. _'Father… to think you could do such a thing…'_ Looking down, distraught cerulean met pain-filled crimson and suddenly it happened.

He remembered.

He remembered everything: the pain, the sorrow, and the feelings of loss. The death and suffering of those he loved and cared for. Toji, Misato, Asuka, Kensuke…

"Rei…" The blue haired albino could not comprehend the feeling that shot thru her when she heard her name escape from the lips of the boy who currently held her safe in his arms. It was not an unpleasant feeling, but it confused her. Before she could ponder more on the question however a scream was heard from Misato as a giant steel beam began to fall, threatening to crush them. Before she could do or say anything however the arms of the strange boy pulled her closer, but held her with an unmistakable kindness and care that, while confusing, was very… comforting. _'I won't let anything hurt you. Not this time. I WON'T!' _Responding to his will, the hand of the purple behemoth shot out from its container and blocked the beam that was seconds from killing both children.

"This time… this time I'll protect you… Rei."

The soft words from the boy brought a small blush to her cheeks. Looking away from his blue haired goddess, the young Ikari looked back at the smirking form of his father as he swallowed his pride to protect the girl in his arms.

"Father! I'll do it… I'll pilot the Evangelion."

_'Father?_ _So he is the son of the Commander. Shinji…'_ Slowly her eyes closed as a small smile formed on her lips.

Shinji watched as they gently placed Rei's unconscious body back on the gurney and began to wheel her back to the hospital. "It is time Pilot Ikari, proceed to the entry plug." Nodding he made his way to the entry plug, and quickly entered it. Sighing, both Dr. Akagi and Misato made their way to the elevator that would take them to the bridge. Upon arriving, Commander Ikari retook his seat and sat back with his hands intertwined in front of his face as he watched the 'bridge bunnies' scramble to bring up the correct programs to begin the re-activation of Eva Unit 01. Finally satisfied that everyone was ready, he spoke clearly as his words rang thru the bridge.

"Begin Phase One of the reactivation of Evangelion Unit 01."

On the bridge the 'bunnies' began entering the commands that were required, "Initiating primary connections." The young Ibuki called as she entered more commands into her council, "Connecting main power supply. Activation voltage has passed the critical point." Nodding the blond haired Akagi turned to another member of the crew, "Shift format to Phase Two." Seconds later Hyuga Motoko replied, "Connecting pilot to Unit 01. Opening circuits, pulse and harmonics are normal. No problems detected." Meanwhile Shinji sat in the entry plug of the Eva taking in deep breaths of the foul liquid that allowed him to better sync with the mechanical giant, _'Mother… its me… Shinji… I need your help. I-I need you to help me save everyone. Please… please help me.' _

"The Eva has successfully accepted the pilot. Central Nerve system elements are normal. No errors are detected."

"Checklist is satisfactory up to 2590. Counting down to absolute borderline… 0.9, 0.7, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1… Rising… borderline has been cleared! Unit 01 is activated and ready for combat."

"Pilot stats are green, sync ratio holding at… 14 percent?!"

Panic began to spread throughout the bridge at the announcement, "NO! That's to low to even get the Eva to move!" Fear crept thru Shinji's body at the announcement of his horrible sync, _'No… Mother… please… please… Mother please… help me… help me…' "__**HELP ME!!" **_The desperate yell from the young pilot startled everyone as they tried to ensure that nothing had gone wrong, a sudden beeping however drew their attention to Lt. Ibuki's terminal, "A-amazing… Pilot Ikari's sync ratio is rising! 18 percent, 24 percent, 33 percent, rising!" Ritsuko rushed over to the terminal to verify what the young lieutenant was announcing, "It's true! His sync ratio is soaring! 47 percent, 51 percent, 59 percent, 62 percent, 63 percent! Impossible! His sync ratio is holding at 64 percent!" Silence followed her claim as all eyes turned to the panting form of the Commander's son.

"Captain Katsuragi what are you waiting for? Launch the Eva!"

The icy tone of the Commander drew everyone back to focus. "R-right. Load Eva onto launch pad four. Ready? Right, EVA LAUNCH!" The familiar feeling of being launched at high velocity filled the young Ikari's body as the Eva shot thru the tunnels towards the surface and the awaiting threat of the Third Angel. Coming to a harsh stop Shinji quickly stepped off of the launch pad and dove to the right as the gigantic arm of Sachiel barely missed connecting with his head, "BASTARD!" The Third Child yelled at the Angelic being as he rushed, attacking his opponent's face with a brutal right hook that sent the angel stumbling. "Prog. Knife!" he bellowed at his monitor as the right shoulder wing of his Evangelion opened and produced a gigantic Bowie knife fit for an Eva. Rushing again Shinji stopped and side stepped just in time to avoid the blast that the angel released. "Damn, forgot about that…" He cursed as he grasped his left shoulder, which had sustained a minor burn. Snarling he leapt at the hostile being with his knife and thrust forward, only to impact with a large hexagonal plane of orange light. "WHY WON'T YOU JUST… DIE!!" The pilot of Unit 01 cried as he forced his own AT field to nullify the angel's until he finally broke thru and landed a hit on his somewhat stupefied opponent. Not letting his chance to end the fight escape him, he quick began to thrust his progressive knife into the exposed core of the enemy.

"DIE! DIE! DIE YOU EVIL SON OF A BITCH!!" He gave one final yell as he finally managed to pierce the Angel's core. As if sensing defeat was eminent Sachiel's arms attempted to wrap themselves around the form of the purple mecha. Remembering that if the Angel succeeded he would blown away a good couple of blocks, Shinji forced his Eva to restrain Sachiel by the neck, and with his free hand he gave the prog. knife a brutal twist that shattered not only the blade, but also tore a huge chunk out of the enemy's core. Immediately the Angel stopped struggling as it collapsed, no longer able to operate without its core.

"The target has gone silent. Unit one had successfully defeated the Third Angel." Aoba Shigeru announced as the bridge broke out in celebration. On the Command deck however Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki turned to his former pupil, "This is rather unexpected isn't it Ikari?" The younger man merely grunted as he rose to his feet, "Indeed, but certainly not unwelcome. The old men however will begin to ask questions soon. The fools." The elder man said nothing as he followed his ex-pupil.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"W-What?! What do you mean Shinji-kun will be living alone?! He's only Fourteen!" The outraged cries of one Misato Katsuragi caused the boy in question to sigh. It was pretty weird, re-living events that had already happened, remembering what he had to say, he quickly put up his meek personality as he turned to Misato, "I-its alright M-Misato-san. I'm use to being alone." _'Perfect.' _the young Ikari inwardly smirked at his acting as Misato began to rant about how a young man such as himself should not be living by himself. He said nothing as he followed her to his father's office. Upon entering Shinji at once became serious as he came face to face with his father. "What do you want Captain Katsuragi? I am rather busy at the moment so it had better be important." Swallowing nervously as she lost some of her bravery the young captain proceeded to request if Shinji could live with her as her charge. Shinji waited patently as he waited for his father to agree.

"Request Denied."

The words froze Shinji's very being. Unbelieving cerulean gazed at his father's cold emerald orbs, "Pilot Ikari shall be living in the same apartment complex as the First Child. As an added bonus, the First shall be released from hospitalization tomorrow and the Third shall take on the responsibility of helping the First in her recovery. Afterwards, whether he wishes to remain in the complex or move shall be his choice. You are dismissed." Unable to believe his good luck at being so close to Rei, the young Ikari almost let his mask of depression disappear; however, managing a sad smile at the purple haired captain, he bowed in thanks as soon as they left the Commander's office. "Thank you for your concern Misato-san, but I-I'll be fine. A-anyway I should go and see A-Ayanami-san and let her know of what is happening." The elder Katsuragi could only nod forlornly as she watched the young boy slink down the hall towards the hospital wing of NERV HQ. _'Poor kid…' _Sighing she began to walk away and had just rounded the corner when she could have sworn she head a shout of glee. _'I'm loosing it, there's no way that was Shinji.'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"…_ei-s…R…-an…"_

The crimson orbs of the First Child, Rei Ayanami, opened slowly as she tried to adjust to the blinding white of the hospital room. Bleached walls and ceilings were the first thing she saw as she adjusted to her surroundings. "Ayanami-san you're awake!" The happy voice of the Third Child filled her mind as she turned to see his smiling face. Blinking to see if she was imagining his presence, she concluded she wasn't when he was still there when her eyes opened again, "Yes." A small grimace passed the face of the Third at her response. He'd forgotten how anti-social she had been. _'I've got a lot of work to do.'_ He thought to himself before the smile returned, "How are you feeling?" he questioned as he watched her gaze at him, as if trying to solve a puzzle. "I am injured." She responded plainly as another grimace marred his face, _'Why does he do that?' _Shaking his head the young Ikari looked at her, his features softening slightly. "Yeah, I sort of figured that. The bandages are a dead give away." She tilted her head to the side as he chuckled a little at his own comment, "Then why did you ask?" she questioned, not really understanding why he had asked such a question if he already knew the answer.

Again he grimaced at her flat tone, _'Is he displeased? Is that why he makes that facial feature?'_ She wondered as he began to stutter an apology. "Ie… its just that… well… how do I explain?" She observed as he reached behind his neck and began to scratch as he searched for an answer. _'Does he have fleas?' _She wondered as she observed his scratching continue. Growing bored with the conversation she decided to ask something more relevant. "Was the Angel defeated?" Startled by her question, the Ikari nodded as he returned his hands to his lap, "Yeah, it was easier than I remembered… I mean it was hard, but I managed to beat it." He let out a nervous chuckle as he saw Rei's red orbs narrow in suspicion but she said nothing. Then after a couple more seconds of what could be seen as the closest to glaring that Rei had ever shown, she nodded and slowly relaxed into her hospital bed. Letting out a sigh of relief that she didn't question him on his slip up, he leaned back in his chair as well.

Minutes passed in the comfortable silence before the pale skinned girl spoke again, "Is there something you needed Pilot Ikari?" A confused look passed over his features before he realized that she probably wasn't use to having a stranger (to her at least) sitting next to her hospital bed while she was trying to recover. "Nani? Oh, I completely forgot! I was just relieved that you were alright." A small blush crossed her features as he closed his eyes and gave her a small genuine smile. _'He was… concerned about me…?'_ Opening his eyes just in time to see her light blush, he felt a small blush of his own form as he looked at her. _'She definitely looks like an angel is supposed to. Well, minus the bandages, but still…' _Shaking his head to clear his thought he turned back to meet her questioning gaze, "Well, I just wanted to come and tell you that we'll be neighbors from now on. My father just assigned me to live in the same complex as you do. Oh, father also said that you would be released from the hospital tomorrow and I'll be taking care of you until you get better. So I just wanted to come and introduce myself. Speaking of which," He rose to his feet and approached her took her hand in his _'I hope this works…' _"My name is Ikari, Shinji. It's a pleasure to meet you Ayanami-san." He spoke as he lifted her hand as he bent down and gave her hand a kiss.

A stronger blush coated Rei's cheeks this time, though she was unsure as to why she was having such a reaction. "Y-you flatter me…" She whispered as he stood again. He smiled and judged by her reaction that he was still in safe waters, so he decided he'd take one more dive and hoped it would pay off. "Ie, I've heard that beautiful women like to be complemented and you are quite beautiful, so it was only natural." She said nothing but looked away shyly at his words. _'Perfect. Now for the finisher.' _Smiling at her reaction he stopped and picked up his temporary NERV issued jacket and made his way for the door, "Well then Ayanami-san I'll come by tomorrow at ten to pick you up and take you home. Is that alright with you?" She said nothing as she gazed at the hand that he had kissed moments ago. "Why are you being so… kind to me?" He smiled inwardly at how well he had her character figured out by now. In the past, Rei had been a mystery, he would admit that much, but after losing her, he saw that her next clone reverted to the same shy demeanor. There was nothing weird about Rei Ayanami at all… well, minus the Angelic background and being a sort-of copy of his mother, she was just a normal girl who just didn't know how to express herself; not that his father had been much of a help to her. "Because…I want to be your friend."

Her eyes widened in surprise as she turned to look at him. He could only smile softly at her, "That is, if that's alright with you?" A lot of questions went through her mind as she looked at the younger Ikari.

_Why does my heart beat faster when he smiles at me?_

_Why do I feel… that I can trust his words?_

_Why?_

Deciding to find out the answer to these questions as soon as possible she turned to the young Ikari. "I-I would like that Ikari-san." She replied hesitantly as she met his gaze. His smile only increased with her response, "Call me Shinji. Friends don't address each other so formally." She looked at him uncertainly, but felt no dishonesty in his voice. "Hai Ika… Shinji-san." he chuckled at her response, "Well, it's a start. Alright then, Oyasumi Rei-san." At her nod he stepped out of the room, a wide smile adorning his face as he made his way home, '_There is hope for me yet.'_ Inside the hospital room a small smile crossed Rei's features as her eyes took on a blank look.

"_Oyasumi_… _Shinji…"_


	2. Suspicion

_**Kuroi-Yasha:** **I AM SO SORRY!!! I didn't mean for this update to take so long! I have no internet and all my friends either have jobs and I can't bum it off them, or can't afford to pay it. And since I don't have a home phone I can't even get it myself without paying an insane amount per month, not to mention I have no job...Well, enough of that. Anyways here's the chapter and thanks to all the people that reviewed last chapter, I'm sorry I can't reply to them, cause I don't wanna single anyone out if I didn't get to read their review, but next chapter I'll be sure to thank everyone properly so thanks for the support! Anyways onwards with the story. Again I'd like to thank my beta, a link to him is available in my profile. **_

_**Restart**_

_**By: Kuroi-Yasha**_

_Episode 2: Suspicion_

_'The more I see, the less I know. The more I'd like to let it go...'  
-Snow ((Hey Oh)) by the Red Hot Chili Peppers_

_'Well… could be worse… I guess.' _The pilot of Evangelion Unit 01 sighed as he kept his shoes on in order to explore the apartment that had been assigned to him. A thick layer of dust covered the floor in every room he entered, causing small clouds to raise with every step he took. Wrinkling his nose in distaste he dared a peak in the bathroom and found, much to his relief, that though just as dusty as the rest of the house, it was at the very least not filthy and covered with human waste as he remembered some of the other apartments being when he'd been searching for Asuka after she was removed from the pilot roster. Sighing in defeat, he reluctantly made his way to what he chose to be his bedroom. His personal belongings had been delivered earlier in the afternoon, mere scant hours after he'd defeated the third angel Sachiel. Looking in a closet he managed to find an equally dirty broom and quickly closed off his room and opened a window as he set about the epic quest that was making his new place of residence inhabitable for human life. As nightfall finally came, Shinji Ikari let out a small sound of self satisfaction as the apartment was now significantly cleaner than it had been when he arrived, with the exception of a second closet where he'd found several species of spider that he felt he should not mess with until he was properly equipped.

Rubbing his neck in thought, he decided he might as well unpack his scant belongings and had just opened the first box when a knock came at his door. Gazing with surprise at the metallic object he cleared his throat and uttered a small "It's open." And felt his surprise increase as a shout of surprise was declared as Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi with Maya Ibuki in-tow entered his apartment. "M-Misato-san, Akagi-hakushi, Ibuki-chūi? W-what are you guys doing here?" A look of complete satisfaction crossed Misato's face as she and the other women entered his home, "Oh well, we just thought we'd drop in and throw a little celebration party in your honor, what with you being the city's savior and all." The nonchalant-ness in her voice caused a small frown to cross his features even as a small blush made itself known, "I… really didn't do that much." He muttered as he kept his former self in mind, _'No need for them to get suspicious…'_ Chuckling at his behavior the faux blond of the group whistled appreciatively as she looked around his apartment, "Nice job you did on cleaning Shinji-kun. I should pay you to do my place; I can only imagine what it must have been like before." Her complement caused a small smile of contentment to grace his features, "A-arigato Akagi-hakushi, I'm good at stuff like cleaning and cooking… if nothing else." He muttered the last part purposely to make sure that everyone got the wrong grasp on his personality, no one expected anything from the poor little harmless boy with the low self-esteem.

It was working perfectly as far as he could tell, by the small glances the women gave each other. "A-anyway, we brought some food and drinks so you don't have to cook Shin-chan!" Misato loudly exclaimed as they made their way to Shinji's dining room. Shaking his head slightly at Misato's happy-go-lucky attitude, he quickly went into the kitchen and removed some dishes and cups he'd washed earlier and everyone quickly began to eat and generally enjoy each other's company with much teasing at both Shinji's and Maya's expense. Finally, when everyone had had their fill, as Shinji finished cleaning up, he sat back down at the table to find all three women looking at him intently. Growing nervous under their stares Shinji cleared his throat before he spoke in a small voice, "I-is s-something wrong?" As Misato turned to Ritsuko she gave her friend a small nod, taking the chance to clear her own throat the blond Akagi spoke slowly, "Well, no, not exactly Shinji-kun. You see today when you fought the Angel we noticed a couple of odd things." Shinji felt his intestines turn into lead as dread began to fill him, "L-like w-what A-Akagi-hakushi?" He didn't need to fake the stutter this time as genuine fear gripped him.

The blond haired doctor smiled at him reassuringly as she attempted to calm him, "Nothing bad Shinji-kun I can assure you, just a bit… weird." A look of uncertainty was visible on the young pilot's face at her words, "Well, for example when you first got into the Eva your Sync ratio was abysmal, but seconds later it soared to an astounding sixty-four percent. We're not talking one or two points Shinji, we're talking about _fifty_ percentage points of sudden difference." The cerulean eyed boy looked away from the questioning looks of the three women. How was he supposed to tell them that he'd begged his mother's soul which was currently trapped inside that purple monstrosity for help so that he could fight all those 'angelic' bastards all over again? So, he did what was quickly becoming easier and easier, he lied. "I-I was scared… I didn't want anybody to get hurt… I don't kn-know how it happened, but whatever it was it worked! I just remember asking for help and then…" He trailed off expertly as a soft smile crossed the blonde's facial features; there was no doubt in his mind that she believed every word he'd just said. _'That's one down…'_ He couldn't afford to relax however as Misato took over the questioning, "Yes Shinji it worked, and believe me we're all thankful to you, but something bothers me…" He turned to her, feeling something akin to shame when she looked at him with those chocolate eyes as memories of her death and the kiss they'd shared flashed thru his mind. He felt bad lying to her, but for Rei…

Clearing those thoughts from his head he turned his attention back to her just as she began to speak, "…Its just that well… when we saw you fighting the Angel well… how can I say this?" She looked at him suspiciously as he realized what she was going to ask and began to think up an excuse, "J-just w-what M-Misato-san?" Her eyes softened a little as he used his most pathetic tone to try and give himself some more time, _'I'm so fucked up… I'm so sorry Misato.' _"It's just that, well, when you fought, you fought a little too well… I mean not that its bad or anything, but you took out that Angel really quickly and efficiently for someone who's never piloted before." He looked away with a look of defeat on his face, _'Crap! I can't think of anything… I guess I'll just have to tell them the truth…' _Taking a deep breath he turned back to the women before him, "W-well to tell you the truth…" Suddenly, an idea came to mind it was a stretch, but right now he'd take his chances and hoped that his silver tongue would hold out, "To tell you the t-truth I… well… I took a couple of m-martial arts lessons when I was living w-with my s-sensei… b-but I quit really early… I-I guess I just didn't have the willpower to hurt another human being." He replied in what he hoped was a convincing excuse, _'Well technically it's not a lie… I did have some old self-defense tapes that I watched and later threw away after I hurt my hand punching the wall.' _

Misato thought this over before nodding in acceptance, even Ritsuko seemed satisfied, however he wasn't certain but he believed that he saw doubt in the eyes of the young lieutenant before it vanished only to be replaced by a warm smile when he looked attempted to look closer. Keeping that in mind he told himself he would have to be more careful around the young Ibuki. "Well now that that's been cleared up, I think we should get out of Ikari-kun's hair don't you senpai's?" Nodding both of the elder women began to rise, grabbing their coats the bottle blond smacked her head as she turned to face Shinji, "I nearly forgot, here you are Shinji-kun." Reaching into her pocket she produced a small plastic card with the NERV insignia and his name and rank with a small picture of him in the back as well as his level of clearance. Taking the card the young Ikari studied it before placing it in his wallet. "Arigato Akagi-hakushi." The doctor smiled as she turned to the door to follow her fellow traveling companions when she turned to look at him again, "Oh yes, forgot to mention. That card also works as cash. You won't ever receive a paycheck, in paper at least, every week you'll receive a certain amount of yen as pay for piloting, also any bonuses will automatically be added." At that the young Ikari gave her a confused look, "B-bonuses? I never heard about that…" He was going to say 'I never knew about that in the past.' but quickly realized that might blow his cover, so instead just feigned ignorance and decided to play along.

"Yes well, mainly they are for promotions and such, but pilots receive a 100,000 yen bonus for defeating an Angel without major damage being sustained to both the city and the Evangelion. As such, I believe you currently have around 145,000 in your account." The blond misread the stunned look on the boy's face, "I know it doesn't seem like much but…" The young boy shook his head, "No, not at all. It's just that I'm a little shocked that I have so much money for doing so little…" Misato smiled at the comment and gave him a quick embrace before leaning down to look at him face to face, "It might feel like you haven't done much, but believe me saving the human race from destruction is pretty high up on the heroics list. I'm actually surprised you aren't getting more, I sure as hell would have demanded more." The 'depressed' young man smiled happily at her, "It's alright Misato-san… I'm not a very needy person. Plus I don't pay rent or bills so I think it's only fair." The last part of his statement made him wish he hadn't mentioned that as a vein began to twitch in Misato's temple, he'd often heard her complain about how ridiculously high all her bills and rent came to.

Before a rant could begin however, the merciful Ritsuko Akagi came to the rescue and pulled Misato away just in time much to Shinji's relief, he mouthed a thank you to the blond scientist to which she nodded and winked before they left, leaving the Ikari to his thoughts. Outside however the women weren't spared the rant as the purple haired captain complained all the way to her car, while the captain vented her anger and the blond tried to calm her, a certain brown haired lieutenant looked up at the apartment she had just left with her eyes somewhat shadowed with doubt, _'Was it just me… or did he seem like he wasn't entirely truthful when Katsuragi-taisa and Akagi-senpai were questioning him?'_ Deciding to look up Shinji's file once she had the time, she got into the Captain's car and remembering to put her seat belt on this time and quickly gripped the sides of the door hoping that this time they didn't go down a one way street going in the opposite direction.

Back inside the apartment, Shinji had finally finished cleaning everything up after his guests had left and was getting ready for bed when he pulled out his NERV card. Turning it over, he saw a small number on the back that said to call to find out the balance. _'Hm, I wonder if I can afford everything I'm going to need in order to stop father and third impact.'_ So far he had a small plan of action, most of it however revolved around getting Rei free from his father's control. This would have to be done carefully because if his father suspected that at anytime he was losing control of his 'doll', he would kill her and just replace her. A small shiver of a mixture of fear and arousal coursed thru his body as he remembered the tank full of Rei clones. A frown crossed his features at his emotions _'I really am fucked up… but then again I guess I'd have to be, I mean she is made of my mother's DNA and that kinda makes her… my sister?' _The feeling of arousal only increased at the thought of something forbidden like that.

Shaking his head, he cleared his mind of such thoughts, _'No, Rei-chan is her own person. She was just made to look like mother by father because of his own perverse desires. Just another thing I will have against him when the time comes.'_ Sighing as all the excitement of the day finally caught up with him, the young Ikari closed his eyes and let sleep take him to dreams of the future he hoped he would have this time around.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~~-~-~-~

Morning came all too quickly for the young pilot. Rising slowly, he made his way to the bathroom for a quick shower before Asuka woke up and drained the apartment of all the hot water in the building. It was only until after he was almost done with his five minute shower that he remembered that there was no Asuka living with him, nor was there any Misato that he had to prepare any breakfast for. Chuckling at his mistake, he turned the water back on and allowed himself a rare bath to help relax his fatigued muscles. Twenty minutes later he emerged refreshed from the bathroom and set about preparing a quick breakfast from yesterday's party leftovers. Though the concept of curry-flavored instant ramen did not appeal to him, his stomach demanded some form of sustenance and as long as he prepared it, there was no way it could poison him like Misato had inadvertently done at one point. After the quick meal, he checked his watch and saw that he had about an hour before he had to go pick up Rei at the hospital. Remembering what traffic was like, the young Ikari made his way out of the apartment and onto the streets towards NERV headquarters.

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Rei Ayanami sat on her bed and quietly read the philosophical book in her hands. Looking up from the pages, she spared a glance at the clock on the hospital's otherwise bare walls. _'Nine-forty-five._ _Five minutes have passed since the last time.'_ She did not quite understand why she was so obsessed with the time. Normally she would be in the hospital for days on end without once glancing at the clock on the wall. Yet for some reason, today seemed very different; she found herself glancing at the plastic appliance and could almost feel herself frown at how slow the time was passing. There were times when she was tempted to call the nurse and ask for confirmation as to whether the object was correctly working. Yet she refrained from such trivial actions; the Commander had taught her to not engage in actions that were unnecessary. As such she merely sat, summoning as much disdain as she could towards the infernal object of time keeping. _'I dislike waiting.' _There were few things that she could say she disliked or even hated for that matter, but among the short list were things such as meat, blood, the color red… and waiting. How she loathed waiting.

Despite this however, Rei was the perfect embodiment of a slave. She could hate or dislike as many things as she wanted, but if ordered, she would comply without hesitation. Yes, she was no better than a puppet; an expendable doll that could be replaced at any time for her master's convenience. She didn't mind because he'd given her life and purpose and it was only fair that he be given the right to decide when her time was over wasn't it? A shiver ran through her as her throat tightened, vague memories of her past death running through her mind.

Yes, she was but a doll… a living doll. She hated waiting.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Shinji cursed as he ran down the hall of the hospital. Despite his early departure from his apartment he'd forgotten that Rei's, now his as well, apartment was further from NERV and that no real form of transportation was available. Now here he was, sprinting like his life depended on his getting to Rei's room before the clock struck ten-thirty. _'A whole half-hour!_ _Rei is going to be so pissed at me in her quiet sort of way, but pissed nonetheless! Fucking funeral processions… the streets are for the living!' _He chose to ignore the fact that he'd been quite unfair to the poor mourning souls of the relatives to the deceased because to him, Rei's happiness was more important!

Finally coming to a stop in front of her room, he took a moment to collect himself before walking into the blue-haired love of his life's room. "Ohayo Rei-san! Sorry I'm…" The look her single un-bandaged eye gave him was enough for the words to die in his throat. _'Oh yeah… she's pissed.' _Rei however said nothing as she gave the young Ikari a nod followed by a soft, "Ohayo." and turned her attention back to her book. Nothing was said by the either of the two, but Shinji could tell that Rei was not reading and she knew that he knew that she wasn't reading. The meaning was quite clear, it was Rei's way of saying, "_I am quite displeased with you at the moment and it would be best if you said nothing lest I become more displeased." _Yes, she was pissed. After a few minutes, Shinji decided that he'd given her enough time to cool off and risked a question, "S-so, did you sleep well Rei-san?" Smooth Ikari, very smooth. Rei seemed to think the exact same thing and chose not to respond to his question. Taking a deep breath Shinji willed himself to relax and think before he opened his mouth, "Well, I don't know about you Rei-san, but I feel like getting out of here. Would you like me to get your discharge papers?" This seemed to get her attention as she turned to look at him and gave him a brief nod before returning to her book. This time however he noticed that her body had loosened and she was actually reading again. Letting out a sigh of relief, the young Ikari left the room and headed for the reception desk to get Rei released. _'One step at a time, I'm getting better at understanding you Rei.'_

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For the hundredth time that morning Shinji inwardly cursed as he helped Rei into her apartment. The place was absolutely filthy. Then again, he'd forgotten that he'd yet to clean her apartment as he had in the previous time-line. As such he kept his shoe's on as he slowly walked Rei to her bed, which was thankfully free of the blood stained rags that he remembered from his first visit. Easing her onto the filthy mattress Shinji frowned at the state of the entire apartment. "Is something wrong Ika… Shinji-san?" Her soft voice questioned after she noticed the frown on his face. Just as quickly as it appeared however, it was replaced by a soft smile as he looked at her causing a small blush to paint her cheeks and warmth to fill her. "Ie. It's nothing too important Rei-san. It's just that well… your apartment is…" This time there was no blush as she looked at him with an eyebrow raised, "What is wrong with my apartment?" She questioned clearly confused at to what he was referring to. He felt his hand go to the back oh his neck again as he looked about the room, _'He is doing it again. Does that action mean he is thinking? It… bothers me.' _Tiring of watching the action, she grabbed the arm in question and looked at the young man again, "I dislike repeating myself Shinji-san." Blinking at her action, he figured he must have irritated her for her to stop him.

"Well… it's filthy."

Her eyes narrowed at his response, "It serves its purpose. I have not been ordered to do anything in regards to the state of my apartment. As long is it is pest-free it is acceptable." His look of shock at her disregard sent a small pang of shame thru her. "I apologize." She muttered as she lowered her eyes, for some reason his look of disappointment filled her with a very unpleasant feeling. He noticed her reaction and quickly shook his head, "It's okay Rei-san. I know that you're not use to things like this, so why don't we clean up when you start feeling better?" After several moments of silence a small nod was the only response he got from the quiet albino. Smiling softly, he quickly rose to his feet. "Are you hungry Rei-san? I don't know if they gave you anything to eat at the hospital. Then again even if they did that's not saying much is it?" Turning to face him the crimson eyed girl nodded, Shinji took that as a yes and quickly made his way to the kitchen to see what he could make.

Fifteen minutes later Shinji returned to Rei's side with a small bowl of mild miso, a bowl of white rice and two slices of toasted wheat bread. Helping her into a sitting position Shinji began to help her eat, and ten minutes later he took the dishes back to the kitchen. After a quick wash he returned to find Rei still sitting in the position he left her. "Is there anything else you would like Rei-san? A nap, a book, a… s-shower?" He couldn't help the blush that burned his cheeks at the last thought. He remembered the last time he'd seen her naked, and he had to admit that she was incredibly attractive. However, luck was against him as she shook her head and merely continued to look at him. Remembering that Rei wouldn't really do anything if he didn't question her and find out what she really wanted, he decided to make the best of this opportunity. Sitting next to her, he sighed as he thought of what to say, "So, would you like to talk Rei-san?" She said nothing at first, but turned to him and gazed at him. "About what?" She questioned after several moments of silence. He frowned as he looked at her, "I don't know…" he muttered as he looked towards the ceiling, "How about something about you?"

The blue haired enigma said nothing as she followed his gaze. Finally just when he was about to give up she spoke, "I enjoy reading." It was a simple sentence, and something he already knew, but it was a step in the right direction. Nodding he turned to look at her again. "Anything in particular?" He questioned as she looked at him. "No." It was not a response he wanted, but at least she was talking, right? Sighing he was about to admit defeat when she spoke again. "I dislike the color red." She spoke softly, almost as if she was talking about a murder she had committed. Turning to her, his cerulean orbs locked with her crimson colored eyes as a smile formed on his lips. "Then you're not gonna like…" he stopped himself before he blew his own cover. But his response was enough to draw her interest however as she looked at him expectantly, quickly thinking he turned to her, "…dinner. I was planning on making steaks." He watched in relief as she wrinkled her nose in distaste, placing a quizzical look on his features he questioned her, "Is something the matter Rei-san?" Her eyes narrowed a bit she replied simply, "I dislike the taste of meat." Sighing in relief that he'd avoided suspicion he smiled at her, "Well then, I guess I'll have to make vegetarian meals from now on." At her nod he guessed their conversation had ended, and it was confirmed as she slowly laid back down on the mattress. _'This is going to be harder than I thought.'_

_**Kuroi-Yasha: Well, glad you read the chapter and hope you enjoyed it. Short, yes I know, but the next one will definitely be longer cause there will be more plot and other fun stuff.**_

_**Preview: **_

_**Episode 3: Cracks**_

The smashing of glass quickly alerted Shinji that something was wrong. Slowly he approached the door and opened it being careful to make as little noise as possible and quickly made a search of the surroundings. As far as he could tell, nothing had been taken, so perhaps it wasn't a burglary. A jolt of fear gripped him as another conclusion came to mind, if someone had broken in and didn't take anything perhaps it wasn't material possessions they were after. _'Rei...!' _Rushing forward despite every fiber of his common sense screaming at him to be careful he charged thru the thin paper door that separated Rei's main room from the cleaner recovery room he'd moved her to.

Splashes of crimson stained the carpet in generous amounts near the window, equally stained shards of glass littered the surrounding area and the small form of Rei Ayanami lay curled in the corner closest to the now obliterated window.

"REI!!"


	3. Cracks

**Kuroi-Yasha: Sorry for the wait. This chapter has been ready for almost a month, but my beta's didn't return it to me, so I'm posting the un-beta'd version. Hope it isn't too bad. Lots of people will not like this chapter, but oh well. **

**Let the Dark Arc begin.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Eva. Never have, never will. Happy now?!**

_**Restart**_

_**By: Kuroi-Yasha**_

_Episode 3: Cracks_

_Wake up! Are you alive? Will you listen to me?_

_I'm gonna talk about some freaky shit now!_

_Insane! You're gonna die when you listen to me!_

_Let The Living Die! Let The Living Die!_

_SAY!_

_Wake up! Are you alive? Will you listen to me?_

_I'm gonna talk about some freaky shit now!_

_Someone is gonna die when you listen to me!_

_Let The Living Die! Let The Living Die!_

_-Voices: By Disturbed_

((Time skip: 2 days since Chapter 2.))

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

_"So...it's begun hasn't it?"_

_"Yes...that child. He's something that has to be dealt with appropriately. This is our only hope for freedom. To believe that we, who were once considered gods, would be captured and held prisoner by our own powers...we cannot let this chance escape us."_

_"Indeed, yet we do not posses the current strength necessary to break our seal. We need their power, only then can we be free once more. We still have thirteen chances."_

_"Yes, but how to capture them? We cannot escape, this cursed seal keeps us bound to this realm."_

_"We cannot escape, however we can send someone that is lower than us thru the gathered power that we leeched and stored over time. Then he can free us thru the ritual as the hosts arrive."_

_"Can we trust such a lowly creature? What if he takes the chance to roam free killing and maiming while we rot here?"_

_"Do not fear. We shall limit his power and only when we're freed will his power be increased and we shall take what was ours since the beginning."_

_"Yes...very well. Summon Tsumetai."_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"_Is that him?"_

"_Who?"_

"_The new kid. The one with the light brown hair."_

"_I hear he's the pilot of that robot that destroyed that monster that attacked two nights ago!"_

"_He's so cool!"_

"_And kinda cute…in a passive sort of way."_

"_Yeah, but you know what they say about the quiet ones…ehehe…"_

Shinji sighed as he walked into the classroom. It seemed that there had been not so much leaks about the fight with Sachiel as there was a whole flood. _'It must have been Intel. Like Akagi-hakushi once said they are really dragging their asses.' _Still complaining would do him no good and as long as he avoided most of the people that whispered he felt he could bear through it.

"Oi! Your' the pilot of that giant robot thing ain't cha'?"

Startled the young Ikari looked up into the questioning face of his (past)friend Suzuhara, Toji. A small pang of guilt coursed thru him as he looked at the jock. In his previous life, he assumed it was a life it was almost as if Rei had hit a reset button for him, he had caused the boy pain by injuring his little sister because he couldn't control his Eva. If that wasn't enough he'd later caused him to nearly die because he was too weak to save him when Toji's Eva had been possessed by an angel. _'Not this time though…' _

"H-hai. I'm Ikari Shinji. Hajimemashite?" The cobalt eyed youth asked as he rose and gave a small bow.

"H-hey man, chill I ain't fancy or nothing'. Name's Suzuhara but you can call me Toji." The taller boy smiled as he held his hand out to the other boy. Smiling Shinji took the offered hand. Before he could say another word though a smaller boy with chestnut hair and a freckled face and a camera covering his only open eye suddenly jumped in.

"Wow, you're the pilot of that huge thing!? What's it called? Who made it? What do you need to do to be able to pilot one?" Any other person would have either been annoyed or at least a bit thrown off by the overzealous military otaku, but Shinji just smiled warmly at his (only) friends.

"Its name is Eva, short for Evangelion. It was made by NERV, or more specifically my mother and father and other researchers. I can't tell you the answer to the last question, but trust me you don't want to pilot Eva. Its not all fun and games. If your Eva is damaged you feel the pain as if it had happened to you."

He hated to discourage his friend, but if it kept him safe, he'd put him down as much as necessary, better he be hated so long as Kensuke lived. However the boy paid his discouragement no mind and continued ranting about how cool it must be. Shinji just kept the smile on his face as he watched the class representative enter the room and yell at Kensuke and Toji. Though he indeed noticed this time around that she spoke a little more kindly to the clueless jock.

'_This is what I'm fighting for. This time I won't mess it up.'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Urg…"

She groaned as she sat up from the comfortable, if filthy, mattress. Rei Ayanami had seen better days. This was not to say she hadn't seen worse, but the discomfort and pain from every single movement tended to be an inconvenience. "Ika…Shinji-san?" There was no answer to her soft call. Therefore it meant that he was not home. Rei had discovered that the younger Ikari seemed to have a very astounding, if a bit strange, ability to know when she called for him no matter how softly she spoke. It was unnerving to a small degree, but she could not deny that deep down she felt a certain…reassurance towards that fact.

Slowly she rose and made her way to the small kitchen her apartment. To her surprise she found a small bowl of rice, some miso and some pita bread along with a small container of humus? Curious she took a small sample of the food and food it to be rather unique if a tad too flavorful. Still who was she to bite that hand that fed her, quite literally in a sense? After her small, but filling, meal she made her way to the bathroom. She could feel the blood beginning to soak thru her bandages and she did not wish to see the look of anguish on her caregivers face. _'I am enough of a burden without him having to do everything for me.'_

As the bandages fell she noticed that her wounds were healing nicely, if a bit slower than normal. Still she did not complain her healing factor was indeed thrice that of a normal human, but it could only do so much. Grimacing softly as a frown spread across her otherwise attractive face she turned the water of her somewhat decrepit shower on. A gasp of discomfort escaped as the cold water hit her skin, the water was never right. It was only ever freezing or boiling, not that she'd noticed before but after she had been exposed to human contact for a longer amount of time she began to feel more things. It was strange. Every now and then she would get a flash of something, often an image, in her mind's eye. It was disturbing to a degree for more often than not it would be an image of death, carnage or pain. Usually involving her or Ikari. Still it was nothing that would prove damaging so she felt no reason to inform the commander or Shinji.

A gasp escaped her again. But it was different this time, it was rather interesting. She'd been washing a rather sensitive part of her anatomy when it had given her a rather peculiar sensation, not unpleasant, if anything it was rather enjoyable. Curious she lightly touched the place again, but felt herself frown as the feeling did not re-occur. _'What is different from the first time?' _She wondered as she thought about the situation. Unconsciously she turned the water off and thought silently, _'I was thinking about the images, though I feel that was not the trigger. The commander perhaps?' _With that in mind she thought about the commander and tried again, this time however she was rewarded with a different feeling. It was unpleasant, almost as if she felt something was dirtying her by thinking such a thing. _'That was most definitely not the sensation. Then that must mean…' _Thinking of the younger Ikari she found herself grow inadvertently warm, and received the desired sensation.

'_M-most p-peculiar…' _She felt a soft moan escape her as she rubbed herself a little more firmly. Rei was no idiot, sure she was socially inept she was willing to admit as much, but she knew what a body did and how it worked. She was also aware that she had no ovaries or a uterus so she knew that she would be unable to bear children. This however was of little importance to her, for she knew that the chances of her reaching adulthood were slim to non-existent. As such she had never really tried anything with her body in the way of experimentation, but was starting to think that she might have been missing out on something. She had often wondered why the other girls in her class had seemed so _interested_ in the males of her class or school in general, or their continuous and sometimes vulgar conversations on what they did with who.

Now she understood, and to say the truth she couldn't help but agree with them to a certain extent. Though she was not sure if she would 'Suck that cock so good he would be begging for more'. She did not see what a rooster had to do with said situation of sexuality but attributed it to common slang. Still the jolts of pleasure that shot thru her body were addicting, but left something to be desired. Deciding to research the subject later she turned the water back on and was rewarded with a stream of scalding water.

'_I dislike this shower…'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"_So we have an understanding?"_

"If you could call it that. I hope you understand that to do as you ask will not be a simple feat."

"_That is of no concern to us Ryouji. You have your orders and we expect them to be carried out accordingly and in a timely manner."_

"Yes, I daresay you do. Very well, I will do as you say. I shall have the first report submitted by the end of the month."

"_See to it. Do not fail us Ryouji." _

A dial tone was all the dark haired man heard as he closed his cell phone and pulled the last cigarette from his packet and lit it taking a long drag before turning to look out the window of his apartment. Ryouji Kaji exhaled the plume of smoke as he picked up the folder on the table. Inside the picture of a depressed looking boy of about fourteen looked back at him, azure eyes dull from either fatigue or depression, perhaps both. Sighing he closed the folder and dropped it back on the table when he heard the door open.

"I'm all set Kaji-san~"

The long-haired spy turned to face his red-haired charge, and inwardly smiled at her blatant attempts at seducing him. Unfortunately she was well out of her league, still it never hurt to keep her close just in case. He gave her a smile before he gave the folder one last glance, _'Gomen Shinji-san, but orders are orders.'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Pain. That was the first thing he felt. Excruciating pain, it resembled being ripped apart then put back together by a very painful and unnecessary means, only to repeat the process several times. Now that was just his physical body. His soul, if you assume a demon such as himself had a soul that is, was a different story, but humans did not have words strong enough to describe such agony. Suffice to say he was not feeling all that great. Yet he was free! Granted he was barely stronger than a human, but he'd take what he could get.

Stumbling he made his way out of the alley where he had been forced to materialize, he couldn't help a small whistle of appreciation at the site before him. The last time he'd seen the human world they were still poking each other with rocks on sticks and wearing mammoth skins. So to say he was surprised was an understatement, but he concealed it easily enough. He noticed that despite being corporeal he was not clothed. Normally he would not have cared, but he noticed that every single human seemed to be wearing clothing at least in this part of the world. Deciding that it would probably be best to be as inconspicuous as possible he quickly made his way thru the alley and began a quest for some reasonable garments. He found a unconscious human male and quickly snapped his neck and removed him of his clothing. They were not very good, and the less said about the smell the better, but at the very least they would help lower the attention he received.

Emerging from the alley he made his way down the streets. He didn't know what any of the things were in this new version of the world, but decided to observe and imitate. And after a few minutes was able to discover that humans would cross at certain intersections of the rough gray road, and that the metal things that moved fast had to stop at certain differently colored lights. He was also intrigued by the fact that people would often hand him bits of colored paper or different coins just for standing around. He was tempted to throw away the scraps, but discovered he should hold onto it since he saw a couple of humans exchange the same scraps of paper and metal for some form of edible substance.

After a good couple of hours of observation he decided that he was ready to begin the first stage of his mission. But to summon the evil beings he was forced to serve he would need some form of catalyst, something powerful and resembling the Angels. So picking up the scraps he had been given by people he crossed the grey road past the black and yellow dirt and walked towards the small source of power he could feel deeper inside the city.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Wow that guy is hot!"

"I know, I mean just look at his hair. I've never seen such a pitch black."

"Forget that look at his face! Its perfect; no blemishes, no pimples, not even a scar."

"Too bad he's a bum."

He could not understand what they were saying about him, but he knew enough about body language to interpret that they were interested in him, but stayed away from him due to his clothing. So there were positives and negatives to the garments humans wore. It made sense he supposed, even back when they were still crawling around in the mud they had methods of separating themselves in ranks. Ignoring the looks of the women, he continued on his way. If he had time he supposed he should learn their language, but it would be difficult. He'd learned a bit of Latin from another evil being during their incarceration by the almighty beings in case they ever got free, it would help to at least be able to communicate with those he ruled.

Discarding those thoughts for the moment he arrived outside a rather decrepit looking building. Still impressive to his eyes, but clearly less cared for than the others he'd seen. Before he could move however he felt a small surge in energy. It was definitely Angelic, but it didn't feel like those accursed creatures they'd fought long ago. This felt more like…a fallen. His eyes widened at the possibility. A fallen was more valuable because he wouldn't need a sacrifice and the ritual could be completed faster due to the fact that the blood used was already corrupt so he would not have to use his own to reinforce the bond.

Mind made up he leapt to the door which radiated the power and was about to enter when a blaring sound went off. Mentally cursing he leapt away from the door and hid in the shadows. Nothing occurred for moments. But then he saw three men in black suits begin to ascend the winding pathway that led to the room he was trying to get into. This would be a perfect opportunity. He waited until the men were close enough and then he sprung.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

'_Right on time. Guess I haven't messed the timeline up as much as I thought I would have.'_

Jumping to his feet Shinji tore from the classroom in the wake of cheers and well wishes from his classmates. Taking the steps two and three at a time he was out of the building in record time. He was just about to leave towards the closest entrance to NERV when a black car screeched to a stop in front of him.

"Third child located, ETA to HQ is ten."

Shinji said nothing as he jumped into the car as soon as the door opened and was placed between two large and rather imposing men in black suits. "Where is Ayanami?" The men said nothing, but a beep to his left informed him that someone was calling. Reaching around one of the burly men he grasped the receiver of the phone.

"Shinji-kun? Its me Misato. Listen we've received word that an Angel has just broken thru our defenses and since you're the only available pilot we're taking you directly to the cages understood?" The voice of the normally energetic or laid back Captain was oddly reserved as she briefed him on the situation.

"Hai, Misato-san but is Rei-san alright?"

"Oh _Rei-san _is she? Not Rei-chan yet?" The normal teasing tone served to reassure him that despite everything Misato was still herself, but had to act like the captain she was trained and paid to be.

"M-Misato-san! _Mataku!_" He cried indignantly before hanging up the receiver to stop the laughter that came from the device. From what it seemed the whole bridge had heard her and that would just lead to rumors about him and Rei, and that would be all that was needed for his father to become suspicious and separate him from Rei. _'Not like I'll let it happen, but I must be careful.' _It was only after he'd hung up that he realized he'd never given Misato time to answer his question. _'I'm sure she's fine.'_ He reasoned as he made his way out of the car and towards the changing room to gear up for the upcoming fight.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

A groan escaped his new lips as he crouched against the wall, blood slowly trailing down his arm and staining his clothing. Not that he cared about that, but it was rather surprising to him that humans had developed weapons that could be so deadly, had he not been an evil-being he probably would have been killed by the weapon. Despite not being killed the wound that the weapon inflicted was rather deep and caused quite a bothersome amount of pain. Rising he approached the door once again. The men in dark clothing had destroyed his hope of catching his prey off guard. He could no longer feel the energy, but he knew whatever it was it was still inside.

Slowly he opened the door and walked in slowly, leaving behind the dismembered bodies of what had once been three section two agents.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"_You…are…really_…_pissing…me…off!"_

The young Ikari ground out as he held the two tentacles of the fourth Angel, Shamshel, at bay. The battle wasn't all that different from the first time, the only difference was that he wasn't having his ass violently handed to him on a silver platter. Also he hopped that Kensuke and Toji had been smart enough to not sneak out of the shelter like last time. He really didn't want to take a tentacle in the chest just to kill this Angel again.

Sick of their tug-of-war game Shinji threw all of his Eva's strength into tossing the tentacles away from him and dove to the right and took cover under a building in order to avoid Shamshel's counter attack. This Angel was much smarter than its previous brother and earlier for one horrible moment he thought that the Angel remembered their last battle because it cleverly launched a beam of light from its mouth at him when he'd ducked under its 'arms' and had tried to end the fight. But he figured it was a fluke when moments later he was able to connect with a solid kick to the angel after avoiding the beam. Before he could move though Misato's voice filled his entry plug.

"Shinji! There's a armory to your right we have a rifle set up for you. I know we didn't train you on how to use it, but it might help to distract the Angel long enough for you to get a chance at ending this fight."

"Understood!" He jumped from behind the building and rolled to avoid the sudden attack from the Angel. Taking off in a sprint the had almost reached the exposed weapon when he was forced to again barrel-roll to avoid Shamshel's deadly tentacles, but was unable to block the next attack and was sent flying into the mountain side. _'This seems familiar…' _Looking to the right he was relieved to see that Kensuke and Toji were not there. _'Now that that's out of the way I gotta finish this bastard off…but how?' _Suddenly an idea came to him, something so ingenious and utterly preposterous that it might just work.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The bridge was buzzing with activity as they watched the newest fight to save the Earth and humanity itself from the Angels. "What is the pilot's status?" The purple haired captain questioned, as she tore her eyes from the screen and turned to lieutenant Aoba, "Cardiac levels slightly elevated, same with blood pressure. But still within reasonable parameters. Mental contamination is also nominal." Nodding she turned to face her blond-haired friend, "What do you think about all this?"

The faux-blond blond said nothing for a few moments before she looked away from the young Ibuki's terminal and faced the violet haired captain, "You mean besides his insanely high sync ratio or his ability to pilot an Evangelion without prior training? Not much, he's suspicious and bordering the 'almost too good to be true' level but who are we to look a gift horse in the mouth?" This was clearly not the answer the captain had wanted but definitely the one she had been expecting. "He'll be fine Misato. He pulled thru magnificently last time, and so far he's doing really well though I doubt he'll get his bonus this time around."

No sooner had the words left their mouths that a united gasp from most of the female populace and a loud 'kick ass!' from Aoba got their attention. Looking to the screen they couldn't help but feel that Aoba had pretty much summed it all up nicely. "Replay that. I want to make sure I didn't just imagine that."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Shinji smirked as he rose from the mountain, his imprint leaving a testament of the force that was needed to cause such damage. _'Alright I've only got one shot at this, so I have to make it count.' _A slight smirk adorned his lips before being replaced with a look of pure concentration. Then suddenly he charged Shamshel's prone form. The Angel acted predictably as it launched its tentacles at the third child, but he twisted to the right to avoid them and jumped up to avoid the counter sweep that he knew it would try as soon as he dodged. "Knife!" He yelled as the Eva ejected the giant Progressive Knife and he reverse gripped it as he spun in the air and blocked a strike from a tentacle and actually managed to sever it.

The Angel didn't take that too well, but then again who would? With a loud screech that startled Shinji, it had never made a sound before, a larger beam of light shot from its mouth and moved at him with startling speed. He'd been expecting that however and dove to the side to avoid the beam and shot out his unarmed hand and planted it on the ground and used it to launch himself to the opposite direction moments before the tentacle that would have pierced his head impacted with the ground. _"NOW!" _He yelled as he launched the giant prog. Knife at the Angel, he let out a loud yell when blade impacted with the core dead center and tore at the Angel with amazing speed and pulled his fist back, "TRY THIS YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He roared at the stunned Shamshel as his fist connected with the handle of the knife so hard that it shattered both the core and the handle of the blade. He also felt his hand break from the force of the punch, but was surprised when his Eva's mouth tore open and let out a roar of satisfaction and felt his Eva's hand set itself back into place. _'Okaa-san…Arigato…'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Rei sat on her bed. She'd been napping waiting for Shinji to arrive and cook something for her. She could have just as well cooked herself, but the young Ikari's cooking was more satisfying than her own more than likely because he used spices and herbs whereas she did not. That and he was entertaining. She was content to merely sit and observe him as he went about his work. She did not understand why, but she felt more relaxed and at ease when he was near her. That however had changed when she'd heard the footsteps climbing the stairs that led to her apartment shortly after being awoken by the blare of the Angel Attack siren.

She'd risen and was in the process of putting on her shoes when she heard gunshots. That alone had caused her to hesitate, never before had she heard gunshots outside her apartment. Not long after she could hear the cries of men and disturbing sounds of bodies being torn asunder. Sighing she removed her shoes and remained sitting. If whoever section two, she assumed it was them seeing as how they were the only ones that knew where she lived, had been shooting had survived she had no doubt it would come for her. So she merely sat and remembered the memories she'd had with the young Ikari over the previous days. She lowered her head as she heard the door open. She knew without a doubt that whoever had just entered the apartment was here to kill her.

If she really thought about it, it didn't matter. The commander could just bring her back to life in another body, another clone to take her place. That didn't help make it any easier though. But she resigned herself to her fate as a man entered the room. _'Sayonara Shinji…'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"That was totally awesome Shinji!"

"You…just…wow…!"

"Shinji-kun! That was simply amazing!"

Shinji smiled as he walked down the metal bars of the cages towards the command center for his debriefing. Along the way he would stop and shake the hand of some random techie or bridge bunny that was walking along now that the alert was over. The smile didn't leave his lips even when he stepped into the command center and was greeted by his father's cold glare. If anything his smile took on a more content turn at the sight. That was before Misato approached him, "You did great out there Shinji-kun." He turned to her and scratched the back of his head awkwardly at her praise, "A-arigato Misato-san." Her smile caused a few butterflies of guilt to flutter in his stomach, but he ignored them easily enough.

It was a moment before he noticed something was wrong, "M-Misato-san…where's Re…Ayanami-san?" The question seemed to catch the Captain off guard, "What do you mean? She's right over the…re…?" She had pointed to a corner of the room that Rei was designated to be in as a standby pilot. A wave of unease flowed thru Shinji as he franticly looked around the bridge for his blue-haired love.

"Ritsuko, where's Rei?" A confused look crossed the bottled blonds face as she looked around the control room. "That's strange…I thought she'd have been here by now. I sent Section Two to pick her up from her apartment as soon as we confirmed the Angel. And I received word that they reached her apartment…They must have gotten delayed…or something." The way she commented off-handedly about the safety or well being caused a surge of anger in the young Ikari, but he wisely kept himself in check. He knew that Ritsuko cared about Rei as much as a cat cared about a mouse before it went for the kill.

"I'm sure she's fine then if she's with Section Two. Why don't you get cleaned up and I'll give you a ride home? We can pick up Rei and celebrate another victory for mankind." He fought down the worry that plagued him and gave Misato a nod before heading off towards to change. _'Please be safe Rei-chan…'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Who are you?"

It was clear that she'd posed him a question by the tone used, not that it mattered. As soon as he confirmed that she was one of the fallen he would kill her and take what he needed.

"_Are you a fallen?"_

His response caught her off guard. She'd been expecting the being before her to speak either Japanese or some foreign language, so it came as a shock when he spoke to her in Latin. No living person used the former language of the powerful anymore. She only knew Latin because the Commander had insisted she learn it along with multiple other languages.

"No, I am a human. Or rather a clone. It would seem I asked the incorrect question last time, _what_ are you?"

"_I am relieved that I have finally found someone I can communicate with. It is unfortunate it will be so short lived."_

She felt her eyes narrow subconsciously as he avoided her question, she disliked repeating herself. And despite the fact that she could not kill this man, she could at the very least set up her AT field and keep him at bay temporarily.

"I dislike repeating myself. I will ask only one more time? Who and what are you?"

The man seemed to pause for a moment seemingly considering the question. He opened his mouth and she believed he was going to answer before he sprung at her. His sudden attack startled her, though she showed no outer indication of that fact. He was within arms reach when she erected her AT field and caused him to ricochet off. He slowly approached the hexagonal panel of light and lightly placed a hand on it.

"_Most peculiar. I must say I am impressed by your defense, it has been a long time since I have witnessed something like this. Not since the war with the almighty. However…"_

Her eyes widened in shock as he easily tore thru her AT field as if it was only so much tissue paper. _'I-Impossible…' _With a startled yell she dove from the bed managing to only be sliced along the shoulder by his claws instead of being impaled thru the heart. _'He destroyed my AT Field as if it was nothing more than a strip of paper. There is no way I can kill this being.' _She was thinking of her next option when she saw him lick the blood off one of his fingers. His face took on a rather confused look before he turned to her.

"_It would seem you did not lie to me when you said you were not a fallen. However you are indeed a form resembling that of a fallen. I can feel the hints of the Higher beings in your blood. Yet it is significantly weaker and more twisted. Unfortunately this means I cannot use you as I originally planned, but all is not lost."_

He walked towards her, cutting thru every AT field she set up. At the very least she had hoped to get the attention of NERV with the constant use of her Angelic abilities. Unfortunately she remembered too late that whenever she did the reading was miniscule and would be overshadowed by the blaring presence of the Angel currently attacking. Finally running out of other options she quickly slid into a combat stance. She'd been taught the basics of several styles of Martial Arts to defend herself should the need arise, but she doubted it would be of much use to her.

"_I see the kitten has claws…very well, entertain me."_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"You okay Shinji-kun?"

Misato's concerned voice broke him from his thoughts as she took a unnecessarily sharp turn taking advantage of the fact that the streets were still empty from the Angel attack. He gave her a strained smile _'Not really, I'm worried sick about Rei and I have a really bad feeling that something happened to her.' _Outwardly he just nodded, "H-Hai…I-it's just that…y-your driving scares me."

The rather maniacal cackling that issued from Misato's mouth didn't help placate him, rather it made him grip the arm rest that much tighter, _'Rei-chan…I'm on my way.'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"AAHH!"

The pain that coursed thru her was astounding, she didn't know how she was still able to stand, but she suspected that her mysterious opponent was the answer. His smug smile was enough to cause a brief surge of anger to erupt from her as she yelled out and attacked him again, going thru the katas of the her preferred style at the fastest speed her body would allow her. Yet she was always avoided, and even worse he would give her a light strike after every dodge, causing little damage, but quite a significant amount of pain. Most of the walls were already covered in her own blood and some had larger amounts from where she impacted after a particularly rough counter.

Panting she pushed off a wall and charged again only to be blocked and rabbit punched in the side, abdomen, and right temple. She staggered before he struck her with a fierce uppercut that caused blood to gush as his claws ripped deep into her cheek. She hit the wall again and could only let out a pitiful unwilling whimper of pain as she slowly slid down the wall and fell into a crumpled heap on the filthy floor of her apartment.

"_Oh dear, it would seem I've broken her. Well it was at least mildly amusing to knock you around. And your cries of pain were indeed satisfying._ _However it would seem that there is no more fight left in you. So I am sorry to say it has come time to part ways."_

A broken sob escaped her lips as he grabbed her roughly around the neck, she had never felt fear before. Not even when Naoko Akagi had killed her former self by strangulation. But as she stared into those heartless and frigid silver eyes she couldn't help the sobs of horror that escaped her.

"W-why…?"

The question escaped her without thinking. It was surprising to see confusion pass thru his eyes before he smiled at her, sharp canines exposed.

"_Because I can…" _

She didn't get to finish processing his words when his teeth pierced her neck. A disturbing mix of pleasure and pain coursed thru her as he began to drain her of her blood. She could feel her body thrashing under him, but was otherwise powerless. It was curious feeling the life…slowly…leave…he…r.

"Shi…n..ji…"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

A horrible feeling flowed thru him. Almost like his heart was being crushed by an invisible force. Rei was calling him. She needed him, desperately. He could feel her fighting to hang on to life.

"Misato something's wrong with Rei!" Was all the young captain heard before the pilot of Unit 01 shot out of her car and ran up the stairs. "Shinji! Wait up!" She yelled out as she turned the car off and raced after him.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

She had barely gotten to the bottom of the stairs when she heard Shinji's horrified scream. Drawing her pistol Misato rushed up the stairs without hesitation. As she reached the top the sound of Shinji retching drew her attention as she looked and saw a massive pile of gore littering the door outside of Rei's apartment. She herself nearly lost it, she'd never seen anything so atrocious in her life. Before her lay the tattered and gory remains of the Section Two guards that had come to pick up Rei. As she walked forward to examine the remains she saw Shinji stand back up and turn to her, a revolted look on his pale face before it paled even more.

"Rei…"

Misato had no time to react as Shinji lunged himself towards the door and tore inside. Misato didn't hesiate and tore in after him pistol at the ready.

"_**REI!!"**_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

He tore into the room, his sense of self-preservation cast aside in favor of trying to reach and save the only girl he loved. No sooner had he reached the main room that he found her. Or rather he found _them_. At first he thought Rei was cheating on him seeing as how the man had his lips around her neck, which had he thought about it would have been utterly ridiculous. This however was quickly discarded when he noticed the subtle twitching of Rei's form and the small trickle of blood that was slowly trailing down her neck were the man's lips were. It was then that he also noticed the state of the room. It was bathed in blood, judging from her state it was most likely all Rei's.

"Rei…_**REI!"**_

His scream jarred the man from his task obviously he was so set on it that he had not noticed when the boy had entered the room. Before he could act however a purple haired woman ran into the room with a familiar object in her hand.

"What in the…?" Was all she said before her mind took in all the information, processed it and gave her the necessary information to act. _"Rei is being attacked!' _The message was simple but was all that was needed. She knew that her friend Ritsuko had no love for the petite albino, but personally she had a small soft spot for the girl. As such she would not allow anyone to harm her.

"SON OF A BITCH!" She yelled as she opened fire on the man. It was then that she noticed he wasn't human. The first bullet connected with his chest in what should have been a mortal wound, but the man merely stumbled and jumped to avoid the rest of the bullets. Disregarding her common sense she ran forward, still firing her pistol. The occasional bullet hit and stunned the attacker until she was close enough to him, then displaying amazing speed she struck him in the side of the head causing him to reel back as she replaced the clip with practiced ease and shot another twelve rounds into the creature point blank. Before he/it fell backwards breaking thru the window and falling the four stories to land on the ground with an audible sound of flesh and bones hitting concrete.

"What in the hell was that…?!"

Her question was unanswered as she turned to find the young pilot of Unit 01 cradling the still and unpleasantly pale form of Rei Ayanami. Holstering her weapon she knelt beside Shinji and checked for vitals. She was sure that the girl was dead, but had to make certain. Judging from the blood on the walls and the apartment in general she knew that she would at least be suffering massive blood loss. It was with a heavy heart that she turned to the Ikari.

"Shinji-kun, I'm sorr…"

"NO! SHE'S NOT DEAD! SHE CAN'T BE!"

"Shinj…"

"NO! NO! NO! NO!"

Misato sighed as the young boy broke down into anguished sobs. She hated to see him like that. No one should have to hold the dead body of a dearly loved person. So deciding that it would be best to give him some time alone she stood and pulled out her cell phone. She was not going to enjoy having to explain to the commander and sub-commander that Rei and several members of Section Two had just been killed by a…a what exactly? A human? She'd never seen a human move like that thing did. A Demon perhaps? No, a demon wouldn't have been hurt by such things. Then what in the hell was it? Sighing she opened the phone and hit a single button.

"Ritsuko…I have some bad news…Rei's dead."

**(Could end it here. But I'm not that evil. Or should I….)**

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

'_She's dead'_

_No…she can't be…_

'_You let her die again…'_

_I couldn't help it. It wasn't my fault!_

'_She's dead, this time she might really be gone.'_

_NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO_

'_DEADDEADDEADDEADDEADDEADDEADDEADDEADDEAD_

_NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO_

_GONEGONEGONEGONEGONEGONE_

"_**RRRREEEEEIIIII!!!"**_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Misato hung up the cell just as she heard the primal roar. A sense of dread gripped her as she turned and was greeted by the form of Shinji. But he didn't look like Shinji anymore, he looked…inhuman. There were no words to describe him. She felt her body subconsciously step away from him fear radiating off her.

"_S-S-Shinji…?"_

Her voice trembled as she fought to gather herself back up. He didn't respond, in fact he didn't seem to notice her, she wasn't sure whether to be grateful or not for that. Instead he walked past her and down the steps. It was a few seconds before she could move and even then it was forced, almost as if she hadn't used her legs in years. It was then that she realized that Shinji was not in a right state of mind, he might hurt himself or worse he might hurt others. With only a small amount of hesitation she ran after him.

Luckily he didn't seem to be in a hurry and she caught up with him before he turned the corner to head into the lot of the apartment complex. She was worried that for a moment he was going to steal her car and go on a killing spree, but then she noticed that he was heading towards the direction of where the body of Rei's killer was supposed to be. Following at a safe distance she watched as she turned the final corner only to stop in his tracks.

"_H-he's gone…?"_

The voice that Shinji used was of disbelief. Misato ran forward now that she was certain that he would not try and kill her and saw that Shinji was very much correct, the man was gone. The only testament that he'd been there was a small pool of blood and his imprint on the concrete.

"Impossible…I…I…killed him. I know I did."

Before anything more could be said however Shinji's head snapped up, "Rei…" Then he took off running.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

'_She's alive! This feeling…I know it she's calling me, she's alive!'_

Running into the room for the second time he stopped in front of her prone figure.

"Rei…Rei, wake up…Rei…Rei!"

He shook her gently, "Rei please…wake up…you called me…I know you did."

He shook her again, a little softer this time as fresh tears began to fall, "Onegai…you called…onegai…"

His sobs increased as he pulled her close to him. Her soft body against his, her heart beating against his own…wait… he pulled away and placed a hand on her chest. Sure enough there was a soft rhythm beating back.

"_Shi…n…ji…" _

Her soft voice caused tears to begin falling again. This time though they were tears of happiness.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

(Six hours later)

"How is she?"

"Not good. Not good at all, in all honesty I'm surprised she's even alive. Medically its impossible for her to have survived. But I'm guessing due to her…condition she managed to survive."

"Condition?"

"You'd have to talk to the commander. I don't have the authorization to tell you."

"I think I will. But I don't think it was, whatever her condition is. I'm positive it was because of Shinji."

"You're not serious? She was missing over eighty-five percent of her blood! There is no way you can honestly believe that it was Shinji that brought her back to life!"

"I don't believe it Ritsuko. I know it for a fact. Just look at that and tell me you don't think it could be possible?"

The blond Akagi turned and looked thru the observation glass at the young pair. Originally Shinji had been at her side in a chair. Now however he was on the bed with her. And whereas Rei had been laying with her arms at her side, they were now draped possessively around the young Ikari, her head resting comfortably against his chest. A smile of contentment on both their faces.

"You know…you just might be on to something after all Misato…"

Chuckling they both walked away, as Rei shifted and snuggled a bit closer to Shinji.

"_Shinji…"_

**Kuroi-Yasha: Well that's Chapter 3. I know a lot of you readers hate me right now, but meh, my story my rules. Anyhow I'll let you know that this isn't going to be sterio-typical demons vs EVA, expect surprises. Hell they won't even really be demons, but something much more fun and creative. See you in two months, for sure this time.**

**I'd like to thank all the following reviewers for their support and kind words.**

**From FF. net:**

LoPe21, colin, Eddy, o_o, Dean, Jay Haru, Marzan, Drackner Clawrus, Anonymous, Storyteller of dimensions, animeboredstickman12123, Popkov, Elizar Naki, Mike Kromer, I'm Solo, TenshiReike, Dragoon Galaxy, tatewaki2000,

**From AFF. net:**

Knight, Nemesis, Platinumsabr, D4rK, 94saturn.

**Thank you all for your support! **


	4. Cavalier

**Kuroi-Yasha: Hello all my faithful readers. It would seem I broke my two promises. I promised like two or three weeks ago that I'd update, but that failed miserably. I was really unhappy with what I wrote, and had to delete everything and try again...and again....and again. This is actually the tenth version of the chapter and I'm still not that happy with it, but it's as close as it can be. That being said I hope you enjoy it. The second promise? Well, that was that I'd update in two months, but it's only been one, so promise broken! Anyhow enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Eva. Period.**_

_**Notice: This chapter is un-beta'd. My beta has not gotten back to me with the chapter, so I'm releasing this as is for now, and once I get the corrected one I'll repost. For now enjoy!**_

_**Restart**_

_**By: Kuroi-Yasha**_

_Chapter 4: Cavalier_

_Dieing Swans…Twisted Wings…_

_Beauty not needed here…_

_Lost my love…Lost my life…_

_In this garden of fear…_

_I have Seen…Many Things…_

_In a lifetime alone…_

_Mother Love…Is no More…._

_Bring this Savage back Home…_

_-__Brave New World: By Iron Maiden_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"_Well, Ikari it seems that once again your ineptitude has caused another disturbance in our scenario." _The voice that held no small amount of contempt filled the dark chambers of Supreme Commander Gendo Ikari.

"Nothing has changed. The attack on Pilot Ayanami, while unforeseen, was not a large disruption in our plans. She is already on the path to recovery and will be combat ready in less than fifteen days." His own deep monotonous voice responded. Truly, the members of this committee were not only brash and pig-headed, but also woefully pathetic when it came to matters concerning their precious _scenario._

"_Nevertheless the fact that you tried to keep such an event hidden from us is not something we can overlook." _Another voice interjected before a pointless argument began.

"I kept nothing hidden it was of no concern to the council, as such I did not see the need to inform of every little incident that occurs to the Children."

"_Be that as it may, we can no longer put our full trust in you. We shall be sending one of our own to keep tabs on you Ikari. No longer can we afford to give you free reign. The Instrumentality Project must be successful if mankind is ever to flourish again." _A final voice concluded before the giant monoliths faded from sight.

The office was silent for seconds before Gendo's fist came crashing down into his desk, splinters erupting as testament to the rage the man was currently feeling.

"I take it the Council did not like how we handled the situation?"

A slightly suppressed sigh of annoyance escaped the normally stoic figure of the Commander of NERV. He turned his head slightly to meet the familiar face of his former sensei turned sub-commander. He gave a curt nod before folding his hands into their usual brooding position. Seconds passed before he voiced his opinion, "They claim they will send one of their own to keep tabs on me. Foolish old men, they have no idea who they are attempting manipulate."

Fuyutsuki for his part decided not to comment. He at times questioned the sanity of his former pupil; he did not doubt that the loss of Yui had caused a great deal of sorrow to the man. Yet at times he seemed almost too detached from himself, if the manner he treated his only son was any indication. Deciding that perhaps a change in subject might be in order he coughed lightly before turning to the Elder Ikari.

"Do we have any idea as to what it was that attacked the First?" He questioned.

"No. However, we managed to recover a blood sample from the scene and I have Akagi working on it as top priority." The dark eyed Ikari responded as he glanced upwards towards the ceiling. '_Soon we shall be reunited Yui.'_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

_(Time Skip: 12 hours since the end of Ch. 3)_

"So do you have any idea what _**'it'**_ was that I could have sworn I shot to hell and back and isn't dead?"

"Misato, I told you I'm working as hard and as fast as I can and quite frankly your hovering over me like a persistent vulture isn't helping!"

The dark-haired captain pouted at her friends' not too subtle way of dismissal. While what the woman was saying was true, it really didn't make her feel any more at ease. Anyone that shot more than a dozen and a half slugs into a body that didn't remain where it should have could not be blamed for being a little edgy. Besides now that the pilots had been attacked, it was no longer safe for the two children to remain alone, as such she had petitioned that they be allowed to move in with her so that she could better guard them. And to her knowledge never had she been shot down so quickly. Fortunately the Commander had at least agreed to allow Shinji and Rei to move into the same complex as her, though not in the same apartment.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

The apology caught the captain by surprise; Ritsuko hardly ever apologized for anything. So shrugging the violet-haired Katsuragi just nodded in acceptance.

"It's alright. I shouldn't have been pestering you while you were working anyways."

"Yes, but I can understand how you feel. I would be a bit on edge myself if something I shot so many times didn't die either."

"So, now that you've calmed down do you have any idea what attacked Ayanami-chan?"

The blond said nothing for a few moments as the computer she was working on began to break apart the blood sample to try and piece together what exactly they were dealing with. Sighing she turned back around to face her long time friend she shrugged.

"To tell you the truth, yes and no." Before Misato could say anything the blond held up a hand, "Well, you wanted to know what I think and I'm going to tell you right now. From what you described…it defies all known scientific evidence…but nothing else comes close except that…well, I think it might have been a…"

By the end of the sentence the bottle-blond doctor had turned a light shade of pink and had muttered the last part. A small tick appeared on the buxomly captain as she crossed her arms in annoyance, "Care to make that audible for the rest of the class?!" If possible the blond looked even more embarrassed and muttered slightly louder but still not loud enough. "One more time for us deaf hags?"

"KYÛKETSUKI! A Kyûketsuki attacked her! There alright?! Happy now?!"

Misato stared at the slightly harassed looking doctor for a second before a look of understanding crossed her features, "Hey…a Kyûketsuki…you just might be on to something…" Clearly the look of surprise that appeared on the blond Akagi's face was testament to the fact that she had not been expecting her friend to so readily agree. "Y-you agree…?"

Misato turned to her long time friend and gave her a trademark disarming smile, "Well sure, it makes sense and it's the only reasonable explanation that I've had cross my mind these last couple hours."

For her part Ritsuko tried not to look at her friend as if she'd suddenly sprouted two heads. In all honesty she'd been expecting a number of reactions, but acceptance wasn't one of them.

"J-just to make sure we're on the same page, I'm talking about a mythical creature of the night. You know a being that drinks the blood of its victims to sustain its own existence…is allergic to garlic, hates crosses, weak against silver, can't walk in the day and can turn into a bat. A vampire, right?"

The nod that the blond received followed by the toothy smile if possible infuriated her even more than being laughed at would have. "How can you just sit there and accept something so ridiculously preposterous like I was informing you that the sky was blue or that two plus two equals four?"

One slender eyebrow arched upwards as she listened to the rant of the, for some reason angry, blond doctor. Shrugging the indigo haired captain sat down and grabbed her now cold coffee mug and took a deep drink. Making a face at the taste she looked at her friend before responding.

"Because it makes sense, that's why I accept it. Listen I fought that thing, I saw the way it moved. No human can move like that, much less dodge bullets at near point blank range what the hell else am I suppose to think Ritsuko?"

"I don't know, but to just accept the first thing that is mentioned…"

"Do you have any other theory or idea?"

"Not exactly…"

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that it isn't scientifically based!"

"Oh cut the crap Ritsuko! We have children piloting giant bio-machines that seem to think on their own sometimes fighting a fucking holy war against an army of creatures that we have no other idea as to what they are, yet we classify as _'Angels'._Is that_ 'scientific'?! _Is a vampire really that unbelievable compared to what we've seen and the hell those kids go thru?!"

"…"

Sighing Misato rose to her feet and placed the now empty mug back on the desk, "Listen, I'm not saying that whatever I shot was a vampire. It's just the most plausible lead we have, however pathetic and feeble it might be. I'm going to go check on Shin-chan and Aya-chan alright? I'll see you later."

The bottle blond Akagi sighed as she laid her head down hoping to catch a few hours rest while the computer was at work, "Angels and vampires…It sounds like something out of a bad story…"((AN: smirk))

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"You alright son?"

The voice broke thru the haze of pain that was clouding his mind. Turning his steel-gray orbs meet concerned brown as a 'fellow' bum dressed in haggard clothing kneeled beside his crumpled form. It had been quite a challenge to escape from his would be killers, to be fair however he 'had' been killing someone that was obviously close to them, so it was understandable. But it didn't mean he wouldn't rip their heads from their shoulders and feast on their delicious innards when the time came. Truth be told if it wasn't for the miraculous healing that the blood from the girl granted he'd probably be dead, evil-being or not.

"I am fine."

The words that left his mouth startled him, he spoke exactly like the human creatures he was masquerading as. No doubt a side effect of the feeding he'd partaken in. That was an interesting side effect. He'd have to try and find out if it was temporary or if it was permanent. Either way he'd have to try and find another being like her to feed off of. She'd been fortunate enough to have escaped his clutches before he could finish her off and if he was healing this rapidly he had no doubt she would be as well. He doubted he'd be able to capture her again unprotected and he did not wish to have any more encounters with those projectile firing weapons of death that almost every human seemed to carry.

"Well you sho' as hell don't look fine to me. If anything you resemble a pin cushion from all them holes in your cloths. What you need is a hospital."

The raven haired man gave the annoying human a look of utter derision, "Yes…and you're going to need a new head after I've ripped yours off if you do not desist in pestering me with your presence." The bum in question gave him a blank look before he burst out in laughter. Intrigued by the lack of fear the man seemed to have at his threat caused him to hold off on killing the insolent creature.

"Boy you sho' talk fancy fo' a bum. Even that there threat seemed high-class." Shaking his head the bum offered a hand to the mystified _'Demon'_. "My name's Kazan, Yukio Kazan. I've been a bum since I lost ma' family after the second impact. But I know Neo-Tokyo Three like the back of my hand." Several thoughts ran through the head of the raven haired man before smirking and taking the offered hand, "I am Tsumetai…Karite Tsumetai." Yukio laughed again at the introduction, but thought nothing of it. "Cold-hearted reaper huh? Nice parents you musta had." Karite's smile widened if possible as he followed the bum to another section of the alley. It was true, his parents were a bit on the soft side. It made killing them that much more pleasurable in his book.

However as he began to exit the alley and entered the streets in mid-afternoon sun, this human could prove useful in helping him with his plans. He'd make a decent minion and his knowledge of the city as well as everyday life could be invaluable. _'Soon I shall have my strength restored…then I'll show them all who truly is the strongest.' _

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

_(Time Skip: One Month, Three weeks)_

The young cerulean eyed pilot of Evangelion sighed sadly as he rolled over on his bed as he thought back on the events of the previous month and a half and the incident that occurred between himself and his blue haired love that had led to the deterioration of the friendship between the normally close pilots.

_**Flashback**_

_**(One week after Karite's Attack)**_

_The days since the incident passed slowly but pleasantly for the two pilots. Granted the young Ikari was no longer allowed to spend the night with the pale beauty, he was still able to visit her every day after his synch tests. Added to that, everyday he felt his heart swell just a little more when he saw the small smile she seemed to only use when she saw him. This particular day though felt a little different, as when he entered the room and was greeted not by Rei's small smile, but by her slightly hesitant gaze. Slightly thrown off, but not significantly phased he smiled calmly and was about to greet her when a cold voice interjected before he could speak._

"_Good afternoon, Shinji."_

_Instantly the disposition of the Third child, and youngest Ikari, changed as the greeting from his father registered within him. "Father…What are you doing here?" Though the elder Ikari's features did not change inwardly he smirked as his son became more defensive whenever he was in the same room, and even more so if his 'surrogate' daughter was also in the picture. 'I had thought you'd have become stronger than this Shinji. So long as you wear your emotions so freely for all to see you shall always be weak, and the weak are to be used.'_

"_Clearly you can see that I am visiting Rei, I am also checking up on her recove-"_

"_Bullshit."_

_The words escaped the young pilot's mouth as his eyes took on a darker glint. His eyes, where previously only cool, had taken a more glacial turn and his voice practically dripped with contempt at the brazen lie. Gendo smirked inwardly, 'Smart boy, perhaps there is hope after all…' _

"_Shinji-san, that was disrespectful. Apologize."_

_The Supreme Commander of NERV watched in seeming disinterest as his sapphire haired doll rushed to his defense. Perhaps he had been worried for no reason after all. Judging from the stunned look on his son's face he was likely having similar thoughts. 'What will you do Third? Will you apologize and succumb to your fate or fight me and lose her?' Gendo was no fool, he saw from the start that his son seemed to have some kind of emotional attachment to the albino he'd created and raised. As such, he knowingly placed her in his care when he showed that he could handle the Angels as a reward of sorts, but more importantly he'd created a leash to keep him as a pilot. The Third and Unit 01 were both vital to his scenario. 'Choose…'_

"_No…"_

_It was now Rei's turn to be surprised. In all her time with the youngest Ikari she'd never heard the word _

'_no' to pass from his lips whenever she asked anything of him. A frown crossed her features at his attitude, _

"_Pilot Ikari you were being disrespectful to a superior officer, it is only fitting you apologize." He said nothing in response to the formal and cool tone in her voice, but he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white and his nails cut into his palms and drew small trails of blood. _

'_Damn you father…damn you to hell. You're doing this on purpose. Have you found me out? No…you need me, your plan would be useless without me now that I've awoken mother…I see…you're trying to control me before I get out of hand. Well, I was never in your control to begin with. Two can play this game, and I have the advantage.' _

_Sighing he looked up and met his father's gaze, "Father I'm sorry…" He muttered as he dropped his gaze. _

_The smirk that graced Gendo's face did not last long, for he frowned as Shinji opened his mouth again, _

"_I'm sorry you're such a coward that you hide behind an emotionless mask to hide the pain and guilt you feel you pathetic bast-"_

_It was Shinji that was interrupted this time but by a sharp pain, as he reeled from the force of impact he hit the wall harder than he had thought he would have. He knew he couldn't beat his father easily when Rei was involved, so he'd have to outmaneuver him by using something that Gendo himself used frequently, __emotions__. It was a dangerous game he was playing. He knew Rei, and he knew of her devotion to her father. Also since she was the second Rei it was that much stronger, but he had the advantage of having future knowledge and past encounters with Rei. He would not lose, and hurting Rei like this was the only way he could free her from his iron grasp._

_A look of carefully measured shock and hurt morphed his features as he turned to watch as the indigo haired albino glared at him. Her hand still in the air and faintly colored from the impact of skin on skin, "Rei…" He carefully inserted a small amount of disbelief into his voice as he used the pain from his cheek to make his eyes water believingly. When he saw her eyes waver slightly he knew he was safe, but his plan depended on her causing him hurt. Cruel, yes; Dishonest, yes; but to save her he'd sink to any depths. _

"_That was uncalled for and very rude, Third Child. I believe you should leave."_

_Perfect, she'd reacted exactly as she did in the previous timeline. Granted this time the pain was stronger and she cared and knew him more, but it was the only way. He lowered his head so the light would cast shadows over his face, he needed to look as pathetic, as broken, as possible in order to have the full effect. _

"_So…its 'Third Child' now huh?" His voice was so weak even Rei who was only two feet away could scarcely hear him. "Was I so meaningless to you that I am disregarded as nothing more than…unwanted filth?" His voice broke near the end, he recalled her death: the way she said goodbye before she exploded with her Eva to save his life. He looked at her, his eyes full of tears as more fell freely._

_She stood stunned. His voice, his words…it all seemed to rip at her very being. A very unpleasant feeling began to grow in her stomach and began ascending, as she took in his defeated form. She found that the ability to speak had abandoned her as he turned his back to her and walked towards the door, but stopped after opening the door, "I thought…I thought we were friends…" He whispered, as he turned and looked at her with a sad smile on his face, "I really am pathetic…"_

**(End Flashback)**

Sighing again he gave a small grunt as he forced his body into a sitting position. Though he had been the one to choose this particular plan, he still felt the loneliness and guilt for his actions. As such he was lackluster in everything he did and his synch score dropped a few points. Though this did help his plan, he wished he didn't have to resort to such underhanded methods for the girl he loved. Standing he made his way to the kitchen and began to get supper ready. Though Rei technically still lived with him, she spent most of her time at NERV and she would arrive after he was asleep and leave before he awoke. She also didn't eat anything he cooked. He didn't know if this was a good sign, but he hoped that she wasn't starving herself.

In the next door apartment he could hear the faint sound of metal hitting ceramic. Obviously Pen-Pen had awoken and was again displeased at the fact that his supper was not served and waiting for him. He smiled slightly at the fact that at least the warm water fowl depended on him, it was a small (and pathetic) comfort but he didn't mind. It felt nice to be needed, to be depended on for survival.

"Rei…"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

**(Time Skip: Sixteen Hours)**

"Begin the Activation Start Up Phase for Evangelion Unit 00."

The fair skinned pilot of said Unit sat absolutely still within her entry plug. At the moment she felt nothing within her, not that this was saying much for a few months earlier she was exactly this way everyday towards everything. But ever since she'd met _him…_

She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. It was pathetic, the amount of will power she had to use to keep her mind from going in '_his_' direction. After that fight in the hospital she'd found that things were not as pleasant as they had been before. No longer did the hospital food taste bland, no longer did she enjoy the books she read…and worse, no longer did she mind waiting. It felt as if a large part of her being had been ripped out, and days would pass without so much as blink from her.

'_I have become what I detested most…'_

Again she cleared her mind as the screen before her began to flash, if she failed to synchronize with Unit 00 there would be a major collapse in the Commander's scenario. So breathing deeply she ignored the urge to gag as the coppery taste of the LCL filled her lungs, she began to enforce her will on the weakened soul of Naoko Akagi. It seemed like years passed before the voice of the daughter of her Eva's soul told her that the Unit had been successfully re-activated. No sooner did the Eva shut down, that Rei released the long breath she was holding. Even weakened it had taken a lot of concentration to dominate the soul of her previous selves murderer.

"I dislike this Unit…"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

(Reverse Time Skip: 15 min. before Unit 00 re-activation)

Shinji Ikari was not happy. Then again since his small 'feud' with Rei he hadn't really been happy, but now it was worse. Sure things were going as they had in the previous timeline, but he noticed several small discrepancies. Okay, that was like saying the ocean was just a puddle, but nonetheless it seemed that all those books by that wheel-chair guy that Akagi-hakushi read weren't wrong. First off, he'd saved Toji's sister from harm, then he'd moved in with Rei not Misato and had thus caused something bad to happen. Or perhaps this was a result of the restart itself? Either way his mind was considerably more pressured as he walked out of the briefing room.

~Flashback~

"_A vampire!? You cannot be serious Akagi?!"_

_The ersatz-blond sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. When she'd finished the tests on the blood sample she was not surprised to see that it was unidentifiable, with the exception of the small traces of Rei's blood found within. She had been delighted to see that most of the blood was un-coagulated when it was delivered. And was astonished to find that three hours later it had still not coagulated. It was truly then that she'd begun to have her suspicions about the probable suspect. But it was not until the Magi had confirmed that it was unidentifiable that she became more certain. This thing, whatever it was, was not human. _

"_I'm afraid I'm very serious Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki. While I am indeed aware of the absurdness of my claims, I can find no other possibility other than this." _

_The tired doctor stated as she took a seat and prepared to be verbally berated by the Commander._

"_Very well, thank you for your report Akagi-hakushi." _

_It was therefore no surprise to see the shock that spread across the doctor's face at the calm acceptance on the face of her secret lover. Despite the seriousness of the meeting Misato fought to stifle a giggle at her poor friend's facial expression. It was all very similar to her own reaction to the news. Shaking her head the doctor opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the Commander as he raised a hand to silence her._

"_You are certain that this attack was indeed by a mythical creature known as a Kyûketsuki?" At her nod of acknowledgement he continued, "Of this how certain?"_

_The doctor said nothing for a few seconds before stating shortly, "Eighty seven point nine six five percent." A small bead of sweat formed on the raven haired Captain's head at the precise figure, but the Commander said nothing, only nodding his head he rose, "Very well, inform all necessary personnel on how to deal with such a creature and then proceed with on your previous issued assignment and the reactivation of Unit 00." With that Gendo Ikari left the chamber leaving a stunned room in his wake._

_~End Flashback~ _

'_A Vampire huh? That definitely wasn't in the previous timeline…I never even heard of them before. How are we expected to defeat such a thing? More importantly why wasn't father at all phased by such a revelation?' _

His body was on auto-pilot as he walked the halls towards the bridge for Unit 00's reactivation. He was not all worried about this, the reactivation had gone fine in the previous timeline and so far no real major discrepancy other than this Vampire creature had occurred. After his father's sudden departure Akagi-hakushi had informed everyone in the room about the mythical creature and Shinji could still feel his skin crawling just from the memory of his encounter with the creature. What had startled him more was the fact that Rei sat through the meeting without so much as batting an eye. She had been the one to fight the creature and yet she seemed…detached…? Almost as if she cared little about having almost died at the hands of such a being.

'_Am…am I doing the right thing with Rei…?'_

The worry broke his concentration just in time to realize he was in the entry plug of Unit 01 and was finishing the preparations for launch. _'Wait…I could have sworn I was just on my way to the command center…so why am I in…' _Realization dawn on him and fear gripped him for the first time. He'd had several preparations in place for what was about to happen, but in his daze he'd missed his only chance of guaranteed survival.

"MISATO WAI-"

"EVA LAUNCH!"

This time a deep sense of panic gripped him as he was launched towards the surface and the awaiting gamble with death. He knew that the Angel was waiting for him, and with the safety on the Eva that kept him from accidentally falling off during launch he would be helpless with no chance of evading. No sooner had he begun thinking of some plan did the Eva emerge from its launch point. And then the pain hit.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The command center was in shock. Their Ace pilot, who had so far defeated two Angels without damaging his Eva seriously was currently screaming for all his worth as the Angel's particle beam continued to penetrate his armor.

"_SHIINNJIIII!!"_

The shrill scream that escaped the small lips of Rei Ayanami startled everyone from their stupor. "GET HIM OUT OF THERE! RETRACT THE EVA!" Misato screamed at the frazzled bridge bunnies. "Y-YES MA'AM!" One Hyuuga Motoko shouted as he hit a button and the Eva was instantly pulled back down, and the beam continued on leaving deep gouges in the Eva and then continuing to destroy several buildings.

"WHAT'S THE PILOT'S STATUS?"

"FLAT LINE! NO RESPONSE WHATSOEVER!"

"No…_SHINJI!!!"_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

**Kuroi-Yasha: Well, what do you guys think? Feel free to tell me this sucks balls, but at least be courteous enough to leave a signed review with some actual reasons as to why you think this and not just a stupid flame. Well, hope to hear from you guys soon.**

Note: The bum isn't black. I'm not being racist or anything. He's Japanese like all the main cast in Eva, he's just from Osaka and as such his dialect has more of a slurred accent like Osaka in Azumanga. More on him later.

**I'd like to thank all those that reviewed chapter three: ****count-zechs00****, ****SSJXThead****, ****Kknd2****, ****Heroes-of-Love****, ****NewFLavor4UrEars****, ****gaiawolf****, ****tatewaki2000****, ****Mike Kromer****, ****Jay Haru****, ****I'm Solo****, colin, ****LoPe21****, ****mangafreak7793****, ****Storyteller of dimensions****, ****Knight ****, ****Yamizenchou ****.**

**These are all the people that reviewed if you reviewed and weren't mentioned I'm very sorry. Please keep reviewing and I'll try to acknowledge everyone. THANK YOU ALL!**


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